Note: Sumptuously carved with a lively scene of boys at play in a garden, this vessel demonstrates the virtuosity of artisans working in the Qianlong period, evident in the complex composition which has been fashioned from an array of angles and depth of carving, the naturalistic fullness of the figures and the folds of their clothes, and the variety of diaper patterns covering the ground.

Compare a related box and cover, inscribed with wanzi baohe and a four-character Qianlong mark, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 10. Further boxes of similar design include one, attributed to the eighteenth century, from the Avery Brundage collection and now in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, illustrated in Hai-Wai Yi-Chen. Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Lacquerware, Taipei, 1987, pl. 155; another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2007, lot 518; a slightly larger example sold at Christie’s Paris, 14th December 2011, lot 41; and a fourth box sold at Christie’s New York, 14th/15th September 2017, lot 997.