Lot 1186. An unusual carved red lacquer rectangular tray, Late Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century; 16¾ in. (42.5 cm.) long. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 22,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

Carved with a scene depicting the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, and two attendants in a pavilion, the interior and exterior of the sides carved with birds perched in flowering branches of prunus and camellia.

Note: Compare another carved red lacquer tray of slightly smaller size (40.3 cm.), carved with the same motif, and dated to the late Ming dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 245, no. 193.