An associated pair of Chinese incised lacquer boxes 戗金漆盒一对 Late 16th / early 17th century 十六世纪末或十七世纪初 Both covers decorated with a scene of an official and his associates, the sides of the box and cover with a pair of dragons chasing flaming pearls and flowers, the incised floral and foliage motif excuted in "qiangjin" and "tianqi" technique, showing traces of gold, the base of similar design, with the underside black. (L: 9 in.) Qty: (2) Property from the collection of James Alfe (1948-2003) Thence by descent Footnote: NOTE: For related examples, see the box, dated to 1605 in the collection of the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, illustrated in R. Soame Jenyns and William Watson, "Chinese Art, The Minor Arts", Fribourg 1963, pp. 362-363, no. 171. See also John P. O'Neill et all, "East Asian Lacquer The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection", New York 1991, pp. 119-123, nos. 50-53, for related trays and boxes showing various forms with related decoration, dated to 1595-1610.