A carved cinnabar lacquer lobed 'dragon fish' box and cover


18th centuryThe ruyi-shaped cover finely and deeply carved to the top with four carp leaping out of tumultuous swirling waves, the sides of the cover and box carved with flowerhead-diaper, the interior and base lacquered black. 15.3cm (6in) long. (2).
|十八世紀 剔紅魚龍幻化如意形蓋盒Provenance: Spink & Son Ltd, London (label)來源： 倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.（標貼）The present lot belongs to a group of deeply carved cinnabar lacquer boxes and covers which project a three-dimensional effect and a sense of movement through precise knifework and expert execution. Compare with a square cinnabar lacquer box, Qianlong mark and of the period, with a very similar design of flying fish, illustrated in In Pursuit of Antiquities: 40th Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong, 2001, p.330, no.228.