Lot 3333. A mallow-shape zitan box and cover, Qing Dynasty, 18th century; 9.2 cm., 3 5/8 in.. Estimate 250,000 — 350,000 HKD. Lot Sold 500,000 HKD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

of hexalobed shape carved with low-relief lines forming petals radiating out from a central medallion, the sides with lines forming stylised petals, the base of the box carved in intaglio with an excerpt of a poem written by Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song (r. 1163-1189), followed by an apocryphal date Wanli xinyou and signature Chen Sun Zuyi jian zhi ('Supervised by the official Sun Zuyi'), the interior carved with a seal reading yubao ('Imperial Treasure').

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27/28th April 1993, lot 333.

Note: Boxes of this attractive mallow shape are found in a number of materials; for example see a larger zongzhu wood example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Peking Palace Museum. Treasures of the Forbidden City, London, 1982, pl. 194; a laque burgaute example sold in our London rooms, 13th May 2009, lot 95; and a slightly smaller example carved from bamboo sold at Christie's New York, 21st September 2004, lot 46.

The form of the present box is reminiscent of Song dynasty boxes made in silver; for example see a box in the Tokyo National Museum, illustrated in So Gen no bi, Tokyo, 2004, pl. 24, together with a similarly shaped qingbai box, fig. 35, both attributed to the Southern Song period (1127-1279).

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 08 april 2011