Lot 3305. A finely carved zitan cabinet, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795); height 44.5 cm., 17 1/2 in. Estimate 1,500,000 — 2,500,000 HKD. Lot Sold 1,820,000 HKD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

of rectangular form with chamfered corners, the front with doors finely reticulated with a flowering prunus tree opposite a cassia tree and orchids, further pierced on the side panels with bamboo, chrysanthemum and rocks, and pine and lingzhi, between the stepped top with two drawers and a further drawer at the foot, all decorated in low relief with medallions on a fret-diaper ground, the back of the interior set with a pair of lacquer panels embellished in mother-of-pearl, marbled lacquer and other materials with two figures, one holding a pen with a dragon hovering above and the other holding a scroll with a phoenix flying above, the reverse further embellished with an calligraphic inscription inlaid in mother-of-pearl, with bronze hinges and escutcheon.

Provenance: height 44.5 cm., 17 1/2 in.

Note: The present box is an impressive example of a cabinet carved with reticulated designs, and its elegance is enhanced by the lustrous zitan wood. Considered one of the most precious materials for its rarity and beautiful natural colouring, zitan was greatly favoured during the Ming and Qing periods and reserved for use only in the Imperial court. The extremely dense and fine grain of the wood made it particularly suitable for intricate carving as seen in this box. The delicate detailing of the peonies and prunus tree ornamenting the left door of the cabinet and flowering orchid plant and cassia tree on the right have been masterfully modelled in openwork carving, which was possible due to the intrinsic qualities of zitan.

This box appears to have been made to hold scholarly items such as stationery or items of curios. Compare two bamboo veneer stationery boxes consisting of three drawers below a cabinet, one from the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Wan-go Weng and Yang Boda, The Palace Museum: Peking. Treasures of the Forbidden City, London, 1982, pl. 193, and the other sold twice in these rooms, 20th May 1986, lot 176, and 8th October 2009, lot 1831, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection. For a gilt lacquer example with the cabinet section between two tiers of drawers, see one included in Zhongguo qiqi quanji, vol. 6, Fuzhou, 1993, pl. 152.

The scholarly theme of the box is emphasised by the overlapping medallion motif decorating the top two and bottom tiers, a motif that is more known from lacquer items for the scholar's desk. For example, see a cinnabar lacquer box simulating a bound book on top of a chest carved overall with related flower medallions in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in The 200 Objects You Should Know. Carved Lacquer Ware, Beijing, 2008, pl. 174; and a black lacquer rectangular box embossed with floral medallions in gold lacquer, in the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Qing Dynasty. Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 148.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 08 april 2011