Lot 342. A cinnabar lacquer box and cover, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 8cm, 3 1/8 in. Estimate 7,000 — 9,000 GBP. Lot Sold 8,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

of circular form, the flat cover carved through the rich layers of red lacquer depicting a pair of phoenix surrounded by pairs of birds in a landscape with rocks, pine trees and lotus, the box similarly decorated with three deer sheltered beneath a wutong tree in a garden, the interior lacquered black.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, London, 13 may 2015