Lot 117. A huanghuali mirror case, Late Ming dynasty; 20.8 by 34.8 by 34.8 cm., 8 5/8  by 13 5/8  by 13 5/8  in. Estimate 180,000 — 280,000 HKD. Lot Sold 812,500 HKD (93,402 EUR). Courtesy Sotheby's.

of square section, the lid lifting up to reveal a collapsible mirror stand, inset with exquisite openwork panels of flowers and stylised tendrils, framing the central section carved in openwork with a quatrefoil motif, the bottom of the stand with a lotus leaf-shaped support for the mirror, all above a dressing case set with three drawers, the drawer fronts carved with scrolling tendrils.

Exhibited: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., 1997-2001.
Grace Wu Bruce, Chan Chair and Qin Bench: The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture II, Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1998, cat. no. 65, p. 186-187.

Note: "Another classic, this is in the form of a mirror box and a cosmetic implement. Only real beauties deserve to use it!"

This exquisite piece is different from the classic mirror boxes, which comprise the main body of this piece but are constructed without the lid covering the collapsible stand and its back support.

Huanghuali mirror cases with lids are extremely rare, possibly unique. See a similar piece but without a cover illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, London, 1986, p. 240, now in the collection of the Shanghai Museum.

Sotheby's. Ming Furniture – The Dr S Y Yip Collection, Hong Kong, 07 October 2015