A fine and rare carved polychrome lacquer 'Immortals' box and cover. Qianlong Mark And Per

A fine and rare carved polychrome lacquer 'Immortals' box and cover. Qianlong Mark And Period.  photo courtesy Sotheby's

of hexalobed form, the domed cover with a central hexalobed medallion and with six further medallions repeated on the sides, each intricately carved in various levels of relief to reveal the layers of red, ochre and green lacquer with a scholar and attendants engaged in leisurely pursuits in different garden settings, the box similarly decorated with six panels each featuring scholars in landscape settings, the interior and base lacquered black, the cover incised and gilt with the six characters Da Qing Qianlong nian zhi, the four characters ji shou bao he incised and gilt to the center of the inside box (2) ; diameter 11 1/4 in., 28.6 cm. Estimate 30,000—50,000 USD. Lot Sold 134,500 USD

NOTE: It is rare to find polychrome lacquer boxes of the Qianlong period and even rarer to find a titled and dated example. This large and well-carved three-color lacquer box is very similar in size and decoration to one bearing the same Qianlong mark and title formerly in the National Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colours. Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2007, p. 121, fig. 108.

Sotheby's. Fine Ceramics and works of Art. 15 Sept 2010. New York www.sothebys.com