A CELADON-GLAZED LOTUS POD-FORM BOX AND COVER, QING DYNASTY
China, 18th-19th century. Delicately potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short foot with recessed base to a broad flat inward rim, surmounted by a cylindrical cover with slightly concave top, exquisitely molded and incised as a lotus flower centered by a mature pod. The box and cover covered overall in a soft sea-green glaze, nicely thinning at the edges and darkening in the recesses. Probably designed after a cricket box, see literature comparisons below for closely related examples made from Hongmu and ivory.

The base with an underglaze-blue six-character mark da Qing Yongzheng nianzhi, but probably dating from the early 19th century, see auction result comparisons below for an closely related example from the Daoguang period.


Provenance:
From a private collection in northern Germany. The wood stand with an old label, ‘102’.

Condition:
Excellent condition with only minor old wear and minimal firing irregularities. The wood stand with some natural wear and small age cracks.

Weight: 193.9 g
Dimensions: Diameter 7.1 cm

With a finely carved wood stand decorated with chrysanthemum petals, also dating from the Qing dynasty. (2)


An appreciation of crickets
for their chirping songs and cultural symbolism flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Keeping crickets in specially designed containers became a favored pastime among the literati, scholars, and the upper class. Cricket containers during these periods were typically crafted with great attention to detail and featured intricate designs and embellishments. The containers were often adorned with carvings, paintings, calligraphy, and other decorative elements, showcasing the artistic craftsmanship of the period. They were made from various materials, including bamboo, wood, porcelain, and metal.


The present box and cover
, designed in the form of a blooming lotus flower, highlights the exceptional creativity exhibited by potters at the Imperial kilns during the Yongzheng era and subsequent periods. These boxes were inspired by earlier containers traditionally made of wood and ivory. Examples of such containers can be found in a range of monochromatic colors, including qingbai and celadon. Despite the presence of preserved examples in prominent collections like the Palace Museum, these boxes remain scarce and are rarely published in literature.


Literature comparison:

Compare a hongmu cricket box of related form, dated to the 18th century, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 2003.100.2A-C. Compare an ivory lotus pod-form box and cover, dated to the 17th century, at Christie’s New York, 20 September 2002, lot 131.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3449
Price: HKD 325,000 or approx.
EUR 46,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small celadon-glazed lotus pod-form box and cover, Daoguang seal mark and of the period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, glaze, decoration, and size (7 cm). Note the Daoguang reign mark. While from two different periods, and each with unique qualities, there are noticeable similarities between the finishing work on both examples, where the edge of the glazed body meets the unglazed porcelain. The incision work on the Daoguang-marked example is also of an arguably lesser quality compared to the present lot, which may indicate that the latter is indeed from an earlier date.




清代青釉蓮花紋蓋盒


中國，十八至十九世紀。蓋盒呈扁圓形，子母口相合，下承外撇圈足。全器滿施青釉，釉層瑩潤，質地細膩。蓋面微鼓，刻劃蓮花紋，中心蓮蓬碩大，蓮子清晰，環繞飽滿蓮瓣，花瓣重疊富有層次。整體造形秀美。請參閱文獻比較，了解由紅木和象牙製成的相近例子。圈足内青花“大清雍正年製”。可能來自十九世紀初，見拍賣結果比較中來自道光朝的例子。


來源
：
來自德國北部私人收藏，木底座上有一個舊標籤，上可見 ‘102’ 字樣。

品相
：
狀況極佳，只有輕微磨損和輕微燒製不規則。木底座有一些磨損和年代裂縫。

重量：193.9 克
尺寸：直徑 7.1 厘米

木架上雕刻精美，飾有菊花花瓣，應為清代。 (2)


此品俗稱蛐蛐罐
，蓮蓬多含蓮子，而蓮子又諧音“蓮子”，而蛐蛐又稱螽斯，本是大禹的族徽，因為禹的意思就是蟲，因其壽命長，同時繁殖能力強，故螽斯也是多子之意。蛐蛐罐是用來飼養鬥蟋蟀的器皿，也稱蟋蟀盆，蛐蛐罐有瓷質、陶製、玉質、石質以及漆器製品。而最有價值的，是瓷製和陶製兩種。禦窯、官窯燒製的蛐蛐罐精緻無比，種類紛繁。


此盒及蓋以盛開的蓮花為造型
，彰顯了雍正及以後御窯陶工的非凡創意。這些盒子的靈感來自於早期傳統上由木材和象牙製成的容器。 這種容器也有單色釉，包括青白和青瓷。 儘管故宮博物院等著名收藏中有保存完好的例子，但這些盒子仍然稀缺，並且很少在文獻中發表。


文獻比較：


比較一件的十八世紀蛐蛐罐，外形相近，收藏於明尼亞波利斯藝術博物館，館藏編號2003.100.2A-C。比較一件十七世紀象牙蓮花形蓋盒，見紐約佳士得，2002年9月20日，lot 131。


拍賣結果比較：


形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2014年5月28日，lot 3449
價格：HKD 325,000（相當於今日
EUR 46,500
）
描述：道光款及年代青釉蓮形蓋盒
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形、釉面、裝飾和尺寸 (7 釐米)。請注意道光款。與本拍品相比，道光款的切工質量也可以說較差，這可能表明後者確實是更早的作品。