18th century of square section, intricately and richly decorated in mother-of-pearl inlay, gold and silver foil, the cover depicting an idyllic scene of two ladies seated beneath a willow tree, one playing the flute while the other clapping to the rhythm with two boys beside, set in a landscape with cragged rockwork and leafy shrubs, all encircled by a cell-pattern border, the sides of the box and cover decorated with ball flowers scattered against a speckled ground, the box opening to reveal four smaller boxes, each variously adorned with birds and insects flying amidst floral and fruiting branches of lily, hibiscus, melon and finger citrons, the sides similarly decorated with ball flowers reserved against a black ground, the interiors and bases covered in a speckled ground of variegated gold and copper tone, box 9cm (3 1/2in.) wide (11).Footnotes十八世紀 黑漆嵌螺鈿美人吹笛圖套盒 This elegant box is remarkable for its exquisitely executed motif of a lady playing the flute in the laborious technique of mother-of-pearl inlay. The intense iridescence of the abalone shell (haliotis) and the bright gold and silver foils have been masterfully combined to create a highly vibrant and dynamic composition. The box was clearly influenced by Japanese lacquerware in both technique and subject matter; the nashiji ground, where gold flakes are sprinkled onto the black surface, was commonly used in Japan, and the pattern of roundels also appears to have its origins in Japanese designs. The Yongzheng Emperor had a penchant for Japanese lacquer that incorporated gold and silver and is recorded to have commissioned reproductions of these wares. Two-tiered and lobed boxes of this type, decorated with boys playing in a garden, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, are illustrated in Zhongguo qiqi quanji [Complete series on Chinese lacquer], vol. 6, Fuzhou, 1993, pls. 171 and 172. together with a circular box, also in the Palace Museum, Beijing, no. 166 套盒內外兩層，外盒盒蓋蓋頂髹黑漆，以螺鈿金片嵌成一女柳下擫笛，身旁一男與面前二童子拍手相和，以螺鈿十字錦地紋攢框，四壁漆內調螺鈿碎屑，嵌大小皮球花，底座內壁及底部髹金漆，內盛四小盒，每盒髹黑漆，上嵌螺鈿金片佛手、秋海棠、絲瓜及山茶，各花之上有綬帶鳥、蝴蝶、蜻蜓飛舞，以銀線圍邊，四壁亦飾皮球花，內壁髹金漆。 此盒所嵌螺鈿金箔極為精緻，所用皆為軟螺鈿，色彩變化多樣，嵌片之上再以細刀陰刻細節。女子擫笛，男子與童子擊掌，所繪可能為年輕夫婦共享天倫的畫面，而識得音律的女子必受過嚴格的教養，非鄉野粗陋之人家也。 螺鈿雖出中土，琉球日本卻後來居上，清代早期以來一度反為中國皇帝所癡迷，雍正帝曾下旨仿造日本洋漆作品，兩岸故宮至今存留不少日本舶來品與內務府仿製品，各有千秋。此盒與漆內摻和螺鈿碎屑與金丸粉的做法同一時期為日本江戶漆工最絕，故有明顯的日本風格。可參考北京故宮藏一件清中期黑漆嵌螺鈿五子奪魁圓盒，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：清代漆器》，香港，2006年，編號171。