Lot 3203. A large cinnabar lacquer 'Hundred boys' box and cover, Qing dynasty, Jiaqing period (1796-1820). Estimate 700,000 — 900,000 HKD. Lot sold 860,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of rectangular form, the flat top surface deftly carved and incised in high relief through the rich red cinnabar lacquer with the 'Hundred Boys' at play in a fenced garden in front of a pavilion, a group performing a dragon dance while others parade with  lanterns and puppets, under a band playing musical instruments and flying kites, all within a border of craggy rockwork, gnarled pines and swirling clouds, the underside similarly composed with a lion dance at the bottom, another group playing hide and seek while a smaller assembly is seated reading books in a study at the upper right corner, the edges shrouded with a variety of trees, cragged rocks and swirling clouds, all reserved on a meticulously carved diaper ground, the interior of the box and of the cover lacquered in black; 32 cm., 12 5/8 in.

Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 26th April 1999, lot 557.

Notes: The present box is a fine example of the revival of lacquer carving in the Ming Dynasty style during the Jiaqing reign. For a late Ming prototype of the design, see the top of a box dated to the 16th / 17th century in the collections of the National Palace Museum, included in the Exhibition Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors, Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, cat. p. 94, pl. 084.