Lot 3639. A carved cinnabar lacquer 'Nine dragons' box and cover, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 28.7 cm., 11 1/4  in. Estimate 550,000 — 650,000  HKD. Lot sold 687,500 HKD. © Sotheby's

of compressed globular form resting on a short slightly tapered foot, the top of the domed cover carved in precise detail with an en face five-clawed dragon writhing sinuously around a flaming pearl, encircled by two pairs of confronting dragons soaring furiously with gaping jaws while chasing flaming pearls, all against a background of tempestuous waves and above a lipped rim, the box similarly decorated with two further pairs of confronting dragons chasing flaming pearls against a background of turbulent waves below a lipped rim, the foot bordered with a key-fret band the interior and base lacquered black.

Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art Ltd., London, 2008.

Exhibited: Yongshougong, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004.

Note: This box is notable for its dynamic and vigorous rendering of dragons striding among waves in pursuit of a flaming pearl. Two closely related boxes were sold at Christie’s London, the first, 7th December 1992, lot 98, and the second, 3rd November 2009, lot 117; another, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3844; and a further example, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, was sold in these rooms, 8th April 2011, lot 3151. Compare also boxes of this form and similar design, but the cover carved with a side-facing dragon, such as one sold in our London rooms, 15th April 1983, lot 250; and another sold in our New York rooms, 22nd/23rd September 2004, lot 234.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong, 07 april. 2015