Lot 367. Two unusual Chinese famille-rose gilt decorated boxes and covers, Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795). Heights 3 1/2 in. 9 cm. Estimate 10,000-15,000 USD. Lot sold 494,500 USD. Photo Sotheby's

each realistically molded as a bundle of ten firecrackers in variously patterned brocade cases, secured by a sash tied in a bow, the interior and recessed base enameled turquoise, the base centered with a four-character Qianlong mark in iron-red. 

Note: Examples oof firecrackers upon which the boxes are based upon are illustrated in a court painting by Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining) and preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, entitled Emperor Qianlong enjoying himself in Snowy Weather, illustrated in Life in the Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty,  Beijing, 2007, p. 262, pl. 430.

Sotheby's. Property from the Estate of Brooke Astor. New York, 24 sept. 2012