Lot 509. From the property of Mary Duchess of Roxburghe. A small Chinese cloisonné enamel 'lotus' box and cover, Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795). Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 GBP. Lot sold 17,500 GBP. Photo courtesy Sotheby's.

of circular form, the rounded sides rising from a short spreading foot, brightly enamelled with lotus strapwork reserved on a turquoise ground, the domed cover similarly decorated, the interior and base gilt, the base inscribed with a four-character reign mark and shou character respectively; 6.5cm., 2 ½ in. Quantity: 2

Provenance: Possibly acquired by or given to General John Crewe (bap. 1772–1835) who travelled to Peking as part of the first British Embassy to China, led by Lord Macartney in 1793.

Notes: A number of cloisonné vessels inscribed with an additional character below the reign mark, such as the shou (to receive) character found on the base of the present box, are discussed by Sir Harry Garner in Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, London, 1962, p. 92, where it is noted that the ‘use of characters in addition to a nian hao seems to be peculiar to cloisonné’. Although the exact purpose of these characters is still unknown, scholars believe that they may have served as a way of numbering objects in large sets.

Compare two similar boxes with a Qianlong mark and the character guang (official) and dou (to present) respectively, sold in these rooms, the first, 12th June 1990, lot 48, and the second, 16th May 2007, lot 94. See also another box with a similar design and the additional character zhen (gem) below the reign mark, illustrated in Chinese Cloisonné. The Clague Collection, Phoenix, 1980, pl. 54.

Sotheby's. The Duchess Property & Precious Objects from the Estate of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe London, 27 May 2015