A 'HUANGHUALI' CYLINDRICAL BOX EARLY QING DYNASTY

the cylindrical box carved to simulate the nodes of a bamboo shoot, the flat top of the cover with a narrow straight-edged rim above a thumb-moulded border along the base, the circular wall of the cover similarly thumb-moulded, the two sections separated by a raised edge carved with a sharp line, the interior with a plain removable cylindrical ring enclosing the hollow column of the base, the latter modelled with a U-shaped opening and two small notches at the top where the cylindrical ring may fit

Collection of Professor Michael Martin, Hong Kong.

The Dr S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, The Macao Museum of Art, Macau, 2003.
Grace Wu Bruce, Feast by a wine table reclining on a couch: The Dr S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture III, Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, pp. 180-181.

The design of this piece is quite intricate. In addition to the cylindrical ring being able to be fitted to the base column, the base may also be stacked on top of the cover, as its bottom is hollow and neatly encloses the narrow straight-edged rim of the top of the cover. The box is suitable for use as an oil lamp as one can place a porcelain or a small pewter dish inside the hollow column of the base.