DEACCESSIONED FROM THE COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUNDATION TO BENEFIT THE JOSEPH H. AND JUNE S. HENNAGE ACQUISITION FUND A SUPERB IMPERIAL YELLOW-GLAZED BISCUIT PORCELAIN SQUARE SEAL-PASTE BOX AND COVERDaoguang mark and of the period The square box with vertical sides and canted corners and glazed in an attractive lemon yellow glaze to the exterior, interior, and the base, the rim and foot edges left in the biscuit, the flat top brilliantly molded and finely carved with two five-clawed dragons contesting a flaming pearl amidst cloud and fire scrolls, their eyes picked out in black enamel, the sides of the box and cover with further cloud and fire scrolls above breaking waves in a manner reminiscent of Imperial robes. 3 1/4in (8.25cm) square width, 2 3/16in (5.5cm) high 清道光 檸檬黃釉雙龍趕珠雕瓷方形印泥蓋盒 《大清道光年製》三行方框陽文篆書刻款 This exceedingly finely modelled seal-paste box and cover can be favorablypared with a large group of carved and molded biscuit vessels produced from about 1820 onwards, though few of these bear Daoguang marks. Most carry the signatures of three of the most well-known potters of the day, Chen Guozhi, Li Yucheng, and Wang Bingrong. Two other rare examples bearing the six-character Daoguang mark in seal script are published, see T. Miller and H Hui, Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to early 20th century , Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006, pp. 20-2. The first is a rectangular unglazed box carved with landscapes and figures in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum; the other is a brush pot covered in yellow glaze in the collection of the Art Museum at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. For an example of a carved 'five-clawed dragon' snuff bottle with a paler yellow glaze with a Wang Bingrong mark and also displaying eyes picked out in iron-black, see Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection , Vol. 6, Part 3, Arts of the Fire, pp. 771-773, no. 1357, where the authors further discuss the group. For an example of a dragon bottle by Li Yucheng under a white glaze with very similar treatment of the dragon decoration to that found on our seal-paste box and cover, see ibid., pp. 780-781, no. 1362.