A rare carved lacquer 'lychee' box and cover. Incised Jiajing eight-character mark, cyclically dated to AD 1542 and of the period

Of circular form, the box with recessed base and the cover slightly domed, both deeply carved with an all-over design of lychee fruits on scrolling leafy branches, the fruits textured with a variety of diaper patterns, all against a hexagonal chrysanthemum floret ground, the interior lacquered black, the box with an eight-character mark written in red lacquer reading ' Da Ming Jiajing Renwu nianzhi' (typical age cracks). 8.9cm (3½in) diam. (2). Sold for £14,400

Notes: The domed shape of the box is unusual as typically lacquer lychee boxes and covers have straight sides. Compare a related domed lychee box and cover and three straight-sided boxes from the Linden Museum, Stuttgart, illustrated by M. Kopplin, Im Zeichen des Drachen, Munster and Stuttgart, 2006, Catalogue, nos.55 and 61.

Similar boxes were carved in jade after the lacquer form. Compare a jade straight-sided box and cover carved with lychee, dated as 16th/17th century, from the British Museum, illustrated by J. Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl.29:10.

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Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art, 6 Nov 2008. New Bond Street www.bonhams.com