Lot 5078. An exceptionally rare and superbly carved cinnabar lacquer 'phoenix and luan' chest, Ming dynasty, Yongle period (1403-1425); 50 by 36.5 by h. 42.5 cm. Lot sold 17,455,000 HKD (Estimate 20,000,000-40,000,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2025

of generous proportions, comprising five similarly carved panels: a removable front, three sides and a hinged cover, each masterfully depicting a foliate-shaped medallion enclosing a phoenix and a luan chasing each other amidst peony blossoms, the medallion set on a ground of further mythical birds at each corner amidst peony, chrysanthemum, and camellia blooms, all within a key-fret board, the interior and base lacquered in black.

Provenance: Collection of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, acquired in the 1990s.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo, acquired in the early 2000s.

Literature: Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Kanzo Meihin Sen [Selected Masterpieces from the Idemitsu Collection], vol. 3, Tokyo, 1996, pl. 117.

Chugoku Toji. Ise Korekushon / Chinese ceramics. The Ise Collection, Tokyo, 2012, pp. 128-131.

Exhibited: Oriental Art II, Bluett & Sons, London, 1991, cat. no. 27.

Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten Ise Korekushon no Shiho / Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishikawa, 2012, cat. no. 121.

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, 2015, cat. no. 2-21.

Harmonious Resonance – A Unique and Superbly Carved Lacquer ‘Phoenix’ Chest, Ming dynasty, Yongle period
Zhang Rong

Lacquerware is a type of applied art that combines utility with aesthetic value and boasts over 8,000 years of history in Chinese art. [1] Among the many lacquer techniques, carved lacquer stands out as a unique craft. According to the Xiushilu (Records of Lacquer Decoration) by Huang Cheng, a renowned lacquer artist of the Ming Dynasty during the Longqing reign, carved lacquer was already present in the Tang Dynasty. Archaeological findings reveal that Song Dynasty carved lacquerware included three types: black lacquer, tixi lacquer, and cinnabar lacquer. The discovery of a carved lacquer dish from the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck, dating back over 800 years, [2] confirms the existence of carved cinnabar lacquerware during the Song Dynasty.

“The pairing of luan and phoenix in the lacquer chest’s design likely symbolises conjugal harmony and imperial grandeur, suggesting the present chest was a custom-made piece for Empress Xu, wife of the Yongle Emperor.”

In early 2025, with the assistance of curators at the Nanhai No.1 Museum on Hailing Island, Guangdong, I had the privilege of examining a submerged carved cinnabar lacquer dish with a floral phoenix design. Measuring approximately 45-50 cm in diameter, the dish is impressive in both its size and craftsmanship for a lacquerware of this period. This rediscovery serves as crucial evidence of the development of carved cinnabar lacquerware in the Song dynasty.

Carved cinnabar lacquerware further flourished during the Yuan Dynasty, with master artisans such as Zhang Cheng, Yang Mao, and Zhang Minde emerging in Xitang, Jiaxing regions of Zhejiang province. Their works represented the pinnacle of Yuan Dynasty carved lacquer craftsmanship. The Ming Dynasty saw lacquerware flourish both in the imperial court and among scholar-officials. Imperial lacquerware received royal patronage and resources, and starting from the Yongle reign, imperial lacquerware bore reign marks, setting a precedent for Ming and Qing dynasty court lacquerware. Throughout the Ming Dynasty, reign marks included Yongle, Xuande, Jiajing, Longqing, Wanli, Tianqi, and Chongzhen.

Most surviving Yongle lacquerware is housed in the Palace Museums in Beijing and Taipei. Yongle lacquerware, primarily cinnabar-carved, includes dishes, boxes, cup stands, and bowls and covers, all meticulously crafted and uniformly exquisite. Some feature floral and bird designs carved directly onto yellow lacquer backgrounds, such as the Carved Cinnabar Lacquer ‘Peony’ Dish (fig. 1) and Carved Cinnabar Lacquer ‘Peacocks and Peonies’ Dish (fig. 2). Others display floral motifs carved atop geometric patterns, exemplify a "decorating the decorated" principle, as seen in the Carved Cinnabar ‘Peony’ zhadou vase (fig. 3).

fig. 1 Carved Cinnabar Lacquer ‘Peony’ Dish, Ming dynasty, Yongle period, Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

fig. 2 Carved Cinnabar Lacquer ‘Peacocks and Peonies’ Dish, Ming dynasty, Yongle period, Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

fig. 3 Carved Cinnabar ‘Peony’ zhadou vase, Ming dynasty, Yongle period, Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

The impressive carved cinnabar lacquer chest introduced here stands 42.5 cm tall. It is constructed with a wooden core coated in cinnabar lacquer. Its four vertical panels and top are adorned with identical patterns: geometric motifs framing lozenge-shaped medallions. Within these medallions are depictions of a luan (mythical bird) and a phoenix, with the phoenix on the left and the luan on the right. Between the two birds bloom lush peonies and flower buds, their petals plump and layered, with leaves gracefully unfurling. The dynamic composition of the dancing luan and phoenix exudes harmony and prosperity.

The corners outside the cartouches are carved with chrysanthemums, camellias, pomegranates, and hibiscus flowers accompanied by smaller auspicious birds. The edges of the box are decorated with continuous key-fret patterns. The interior of the box is lacquered red, while the lid's underside is lacquered black. The chest’s structural design suggests it originally contained multiple drawers.

In terms of form, this piece is more aptly described as a "chest" rather than a "box" due to its size and functional purpose. In Xianqing Ouji (Casual Expressions of Idle Feelings), a piece of Ming dynasty literature, Li Yu discusses the design and use of such items, emphasising “small containers for treasures, large ones for miscellany.” Chests or caskets, derived from Song and Yuan-era women’s mirror cases, are compact storage items featuring drawers, making them both functional and portable.

An early Ming lacquer chest with gold-inlaid dragon patterns (fig. 4), unearthed from the tomb of Zhu Tan, the tenth son of the Hongwu emperor, features a similarly intricate design. The chest, with a domed lid and cinnabar lacquer ground, is adorned with gold-inlaid cloud and dragon motifs. Although sealed shut, this chest demonstrates early imperial efforts to create functional storage lacquerware. This trend continued during the Jiajing reign, with lacquer chests decorated with techniques such as cinnabar carving (fig. 5), gilt-decoration, and inlaid tixi patterns.

fig. 4 Lacquer Chest with Qiangjin-gold Dragon Patterns, Shandong Museum and the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, The Tomb of Zhu Tan, vol. 1, pp. 96–97, Beijing, 2014

fig. 5 Carved Cinnabar Lacquer ‘dragon’ chest, Ming dynasty, Jiajing period, Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

Interestingly, the Qianlong emperor of the Qing Dynasty often repurposed Ming lacquerware and Japanese lacquerware by adding sandalwood drawers for storing jade, inkstones, and books (fig. 6). Small quantities of lacquerware chests of similar form were made for the Qing dynasty court during Kangxi and Qianlong periods, one of which was a black lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlaid chest now housed in the Palace Museum, Beijing (fig. 7).

fig. 6 Polychrome and Qiangjin Gold decorated ‘dragon’ chest, the chest Ming dynasty, Jiajing period, the sandalwood drawers Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

fig. 7 Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Black Lacquer Chest, Early Qing dynasty, Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

A polychrome lacquer chest from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (fig. 8) shares close similarities with this present lacquer chest. Standing 49 cm tall and similarly constructed, it features gold and polychrome motifs of clouds, lotuses, dragons, and phoenixes decorated in “tianqi and qiangjin” techniques. The medallions are densely filled with tiny holes to imitate carved black tixi lacquer ground. Despite the absence of a reign mark, the dragon and phoenix motifs suggest it dates to the Yongle period.[4]

fig. 8 Polychrome lacquer chest, Ming dynasty, Yongle period, Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The "double phoenix" design on the lacquer box aligns with designs from the Song Dynasty’s Yingzao Fashi (Treatise on Architectural Methods) (fig. 9). Upon closer examination, the two long-tailed birds differ: the left is a phoenix, and the right is a luan mythical bird. The phoenix is traditionally considered the "king of birds," with the male called "feng" and the female "huang." Together, they symbolise harmony and prosperity.

fig. 9 Drawing after Li Jie (original author) Song dynasty, edited by the Architectural History Research Institute of China Architecture Design and Research Group, Designs from Yingzao Fashi, Vol. 2, p. 236, Beijing, 2007.

The luan, a mythical bird in ancient Chinese mythology, is described in ancient Chinese text Huainanzi (The Writings off the Huainan Masters) as "the essence of divine spirits, with a chicken form, cinnabar coloration, and five-coloured feathers." It is considered a divine bird that heralds peace and prosperity. The pairing of luan and phoenix in the lacquer chest’s design likely symbolises conjugal harmony and imperial grandeur, suggesting the present chest was a custom-made piece for Empress Xu, wife of the Yongle Emperor.

Large circular cinnabar carved boxes and covers with similarly carved luan and phoenix motifs can be found in other collections. For example, a lacquer box and cover, measuring 8.5 cm in height and 43.5 cm in diameter is housed in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm, Sweden (fig. 10). It features similar motifs to the present chest, including peonies, camellias, chrysanthemums, and pomegranates, inscribed with Yongle and Xuande reign marks [6]. Another similar carved cinnabar lacquer box and cover, nearly identical in dimensions and design and inscribed with a Yongle reign mark, is from the Tokyo National Museum [7].

fig. 10 Carved Cinnabar Lacquer ‘Phoenix’ Box and Cover, Ming dynasty, Yongle period, Courtesy of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm.

In terms of the use of colour, carving style, and craftsmanship, the present lacquer chest is consistent with existing Yongle-period carved lacquerware. Its cinnabar lacquer has aged into a warm, soft maroon, a hue that captivates the viewer. The masterful carving, precise detailing, and harmonious design make this chest a unique masterpiece of Yongle lacquerware. Formerly part of the collection of Japanese businessman Mr Hikonobu Ise, this chest was originally acquired by the Idemitsu Museum in the 1990s and sold by Mayuyama & Co., Ltd in 2000. Its reappearance at Sotheby’s Hong Kong 25 years later is a momentous occasion for lacquerware enthusiasts, researchers, and collectors alike.

References

1. Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Archaeometry, 2021. Excavation of over 8,000-year-old wooden lacquer artefacts at the Jingtoushan site in Zhejiang, Annual Report of Zhejiang Studies, 2021.
2. Analysis of the composition and structure of lacquer fragments from the Nanhai I shipwreck, Cultural Relics Conservation and Archaeological Science, 2023.
3. Shandong Museum and the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, The Tomb of Zhu Tan, Vol. 1, pp. 96–97, Cultural Relics Press, November 2014.
4. Hu Shichang, Lacquerware with Gold Inlay from the Han to the Song Dynasty, Including Carved Rhinoceros Horn Ground, Hubei Excavated Qin and Han Lacquerware, Hubei Provincial Museum and the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum, 1994.
5. Li Jie (original author), edited by the Architectural History Research Institute of China Architecture Design and Research Group, Designs from Yingzao Fashi, Vol. 2, p. 236, China Architecture and Building Press.
6. Official records of the Swedish Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, item no. 2378, bearing Yongle and Xuande marks. Donated by King Gustav VI Adolf, originally acquired from Sir Percival David.
7. Oriental Lacquer Art, item no. 502, Tokyo National Museum, 1977.

Lot 5080. A pair of 'qiangjin' lacquer sutra covers, Ming dynasty, Yongle period (1403-1425); 72.8 cm. Lot sold 1,016,000 HKD (Estimate 500,000-1,000,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2025

each of rectangular section, carved with a horizontal panel set within a raised framed, finely incised and gilt in the qiangjin technique with a central canopied vase issuing a flaming cintamani emblem and leafy scrolls, flanked by bajixiang emblems, all framed by bands of florets, petal lappets and classic scrolls, the sides further decorated with lotus and lion masks, one cover inscribed on the reverse in Tibetan and Chinese with the title of the 3rd volume of the Mahā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Japanese double wood box.

Provenance: Hirano Kotoken.

Exhibited: Chugoku Urushi Kogei ten [Exhibition of Chinese lacquers], Hirano Kotoken, Osaka, 1991, cat. nos 1 (top) and 9 (bottom).

Note: These exquisite sutra covers were made for the 3rd volume of the Sutra of Great Wisdom, as may be seen from the title engraved on the back of the top cover in both Tibetan and Chinese writings within a panel of lotus petal motif. 

Peter Lam in Layered Beauty, Hong Kong, 2010, p. 54, notes that it is recorded in the Ming shi (Dynastic History of the Ming) that two sets of Bkah-hgyur were bestowed sequentially by the Yongle emperor to two Buddhist masters from Tibet in 1413 and 1416 respectively. The sutras of both masters, now preserved at the Potala Palace and the Sera Monastery in Lhasa, are divided into 108 volumes bound by sutra covers like the present set, which was possibly made in the same workshop and belongs to one of the 108 volumes.

For a closely comparable example see two sutra covers, similarly attributed to the Yongle period, illustrated in Zhongguo qiqi quanji, Fuzhou, 1995, pl. 29; and two further examples, attributed to circa 1410, are published in James C.Y. Watt and Barbara Brennan Ford, East Asian Lacquer, New York, 1991, pl. 49, from the Florence and Herbert Irving collection and now on loan in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. See also a set from the Baoyizhai Collection, sold in these rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 38.

Lot 5077. A rare carved polychrome lacquer quatrefoil dish, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); 17.3 cm. Lot sold 2,794,000 HKD (Estimate 900,000-1,800,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2025

of quatrefoil form, the shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot of corresponding form, intricately carved in various levels of relief revealing multiple layers of red, yellow and green lacquer, the interior centred with a medallion enclosing a candle flanked by millet ears, surrounded by two tai characters and two vases at the cardinal points, further adorned with two pairs of five-clawed dragons and cartouches enclosing the Eight Treasures, the lobed exterior adorned with panels of flowers, the base lacquered black and gilt-incised with a vertical six-character reign mark, Japanese double wood box.

Provenance: Collection of Sir Percival and Lady David.

Hirano Kotoken.

Collection of the Idemitsu Museum, Tokyo.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Exhibited: The Arts of the Ming Dynasty, Oriental Ceramics Society, Arts Council Gallery, London, 1957, illustrated in Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 30, 1955-57, cat. no. 251.

Chugoku Urushi Kogei ten [Exhibition of Chinese lacquers], Hirano Kotoken, Osaka, 1991, cat. no. 55.

Note: The lacquerware of the Jiajing period is characterised by its ingenious shapes and exquisitely intricate motifs. Due to the Emperor’s deep devotion to Daoism, Daoist incantations and auspicious symbols frequently adorned these objects.

This lobed dish, crafted in the polychrome carved lacquer technique using red, yellow, and green layers, features a central medallion formed by alternating plum blossoms and bees, a design symbolising the cosmic harmony of "round heaven and square earth" (tian yuan di fang). Within the medallion, a dragon-engraved candle rises from a lotus pedestal beneath a constellation, flanked by abundant ears of millet. Above and below, the character tai (太, "great" or "supreme") is carved within plum petals, forming an auspicious talisman. Outside the medallion, four dynamic dragons twist vigorously amid a ground of miscellaneous treasures (zabao). The exterior is decorated with four groups of seasonal flowers, while the base bears the incised six-character mark Da Ming Jiajing nian zhi ("Made in the Great Ming Jiajing reign") in a vertical cartouche.

A closely related carved cinnabar lacquer carved lobed dish in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Yuan and Ming Lacquerware, pl. 126, features Buddhist iconography, dragons and the Four Heavenly Kings’ attributes (sword, pipa lute, umbrella, and snake), symbolising "favourable winds and timely rains" (feng tiao yu shun). In contrast, the present dish employs Daoist motifs to express wishes for a "Great Peace" (taiping shengshi), likely forming part of the same imperial series. Together, they reflect the Jiajing Emperor’s religious syncretism and his vision of universal harmony (wan bang xian ning). See also a similar dish sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd June 2015, lot 3151.

Lot 5079. A rare carved yellow lacquer 'dragon' box and cover, Mark and period of Wanli, Dated Wanli yiwei year, corresponding to 1595; 19.8 cm. Lot sold 2,032,000 HKD (Estimate 1,500,000-3,000,000 HKD). © So9theby's 2025

of circular form, exquisitely carved in varied levels of relief through the ochre-yellow lacquer to the cinnabar-red layer below, the top decorated with a descending five-clawed dragon chasing a flaming pearl amidst clouds, all against a cinnabar diaper ground, the sides of the cover and box decorated with bands of peony scrolls and coin motifs, the interior lacquered black and base cinnabar, the edge of the base gilt-incised with an eight-character reign mark dated to the yiwei year (in accordance with 1595), Japanese double wood box.

Provenance: Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Literature: Tosetsu / A monthly journal published by the Japan Ceramic Society, vol. 749, May 2015, p. 78.

Nagomi [A monthly magazine by Tankosha], Tankosha, Tokyo, May 2018, p. 30.

Exhibited: Toyama Koenkai Chakai [Tea ceremony at the Toyama Art Club], Toyama, 2014.

Note: This remarkable box belongs to a small group of Wanli lacquer wares that were carved with yellow dragons on a red ground. This group is characterised by extremely fine and deep carving, which has been made possible through the thickness of the lacquer wall that has been built up by numerous layers of lacquer. See a similar box formerly in the collection of Mr Hirota Matsushige, the founder of Kochukyo, and now housed in the Tokyo National Museum, accession no. TH-351.

Yellow lacquer boxes of this form are exceptionally rare, and there appear to be no recorded examples in the collections of Beijing Palace Museum or Taipei Palace Museum; the closest comparable works are found among a small group of yellow lacquer dishes. One example with 'dragon and phoenix' motif can be found in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Xia Gengqi, The Complete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum: Yuan and Ming Lacquer ware, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 169; and a yellow lacquer plate with mountain, sea, cloud, and dragon designs in the Taipei Palace Museum, illustrated in He guang ti cai [Lacquer ware from the Palace Museum], Taipei, 2008, pl. 97.

Lot 5082. A mother-of-pearl inlaid black lacquer brush and cover, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620); overall l. 26.1 cm. Lot sold 571,500 HKD (Estimate 400,000-600,000 HKD). © So9theby's 2025

the cylindrical handle and cover decorated with a scene of three birds resting on a blooming tree, the handle with a six-character reign mark in a rectangular panel, Japanese wood box.

Exhibited: Raden [East Asian Urushi Lacquer Work with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay], Tokugawa Art Museum, 1999, cat. no. 36.
Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, 2015, cat. no. 2-2.

Sotheby's. Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Hong Kong, 9 September 2025