A large Imperial circular lacquer 'dragon' box, Yongle six-character mark and of the period. Photo Bonhams

Of large circular form, the straight sides boldly carved with four five-clawed dragons in flight amidst wispy clouds on a thick layer of red lacquer, the interior and base lacquered black, the base with a Xuande six-character mark carved and painted above the original Yongle six-character mark. 31.6cm diam. Estimate: US$ 39,000 - 64,000

Notes: It is extremely rare to find a Yongle lacquer box in such well preserved condition, where the carving of Imperial five-clawed dragons is displayed to such a high level. Although the box has been separated from its cover, it still remains an outstanding example of early Ming lacquer art.

Yongle reign-marked lacquerwares were clearly treasured in the Xuande period, which accounts for the number of examples preserved in museum and private collections, where the original Yongle incised marks have been carved over and painted with a Xuande mark. For a similar Yongle box and cover carved with cloud and dragon pattern from the Qing Court collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, where the base has an almost idential Xuande mark carved over the original Yongle incised mark, seeLacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, 2006, pg. 68, no. 47.

For a Yongle lacquer box and cover carved with five-clawed dragons in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, similarly carved with Xuande mark, see Gugong qiqi tezhan, Taipei, 1981, cat. no.17. For an example sold at auction, see a smaller box carved on the cover with a five-clawed dragon and on the sides with clouds, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29 October 2001, lot 665, and again 31 October 2004, lot 16 and more recently 4 April 2012, lot 3200, and illustrated inSotheby's Thirty Years in Hong Kong:1973-2003, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 402.

Bonhams. 26 May 2013. Hong Kong. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art