CHINA - QIANLONG period (1736 - 1795) - Lot 177

CHINA - QIANLONG period (1736 - 1795) Large round box in red, green and yellow lacquer. The lid is carved with a "chun" (spring) character featuring Shoulao seated with his deer under a pine tree. The character surmounts a bowl containing auspicious symbols, endless knot, pearl, coral branches, lingzhi. The whole is flanked by two five-clawed dragons flying in the clouds, and surrounded by a frieze of foliage. The edges of the lid and box carved with four reserves of scenes of scholars and servants. (Minor accidents, missing parts and restorations, two cracks). Diam. 39.5 cm Reference: A similar box illustrated in Lacquer wares of the Qing dynasty, The complete collection of treasures of the Palace Museum, p.88 This important tricolored carved lacquer box, called chunshou baohe, "springtime longevity treasure box", features a rich and complex iconography combining wishes for the emperor's longevity, renewal and prosperity. Immortality is evoked by the presence of Shoulao, the Taoist deity of longevity, sculpted in a medallion within the character chun, spring. Seated under a pine tree, symbol of long life, and accompanied by his deer, he observes a scroll near precious objects. Combined with the chun character in the center of the medallion, he wishes for a spring-like renewal, for example on the occasion of an imperial birthday during a long reign. Wishes for happiness and prosperity are echoed in the motif of the treasure basket, the jubaopan, represented under the chun character, filled with coral, sapecs, pearls and ruyi, the countless treasures wished to the sovereign, surmounted by an infinite bow. Two five-clawed dragons, symbols of the emperor, here depicted as masters of the sky in the clouds, add to the iconography of these boxes: capable of transformation, they represent the idea of renewal and power. A masterpiece of Qing dynasty lacquer craftsmanship, this box illustrates the wealth and prosperity of the reign of the Qianlong emperor (1736-1795). Its remarkable craftsmanship is the result of long and painstaking work: countless layers of red, green and yellow lacquer are applied to a wooden core, then carved into the thickness to reveal the different colors and finely chiseled motifs.