Description
A Chinese carved cinnabar lacquer lidded box, of circular form commonly referred to as a “food box” (食盒) or a “lidded box” (蓋盒) . The main surface of the lid depicts two warriors on horses facing off each other in a grove by a cliff. The scene is hemmed in by rocks and pine, maple and other shrubs and trees overtop a backdrop of various ground, water and air diapers. Rendered in forms typical of Qing dynasty (1644–1911) wares, these background brocade patterns are visual techniques employed to convey to the viewer an additional layer of depth. The entire scene is ringed by a convex double bead running along the top outer edge. The sides of the box are decorated with a brocade consisting of a series of concentric squares; another pattern commonly found on Qing carved lacquers. The base of the box rests on a foot ring incised with a key fret pattern. The inside of the box and foot ring in a muted black lacquer.
The rider on the right in this scene, surely must be Guan Yu (關羽), a famous Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D) warrior who lived from approximately 160-220 AD. Guan Yu is renowned for his bravery, honor, valor and faithfulness and is usually depicted riding “The Red Hare” (赤兔馬), a famous horse said to be able to travel 1000 miles a day. He is identified by a long lush beard, a reddish face and wielding his “guandao” (關刀) known as “The Green Dragon Crescent Blade” (青龍偃月刀). According to legend, the “guandao” (a Chinese form of the halberd) was invented by him.
Guan Yu is widely venerated historically and in contemporary times in Buddhism, Daoism, Chinese folk religion, martial arts temples and even by criminals and law enforcement alike. In this scene its unclear who his opponent is but Guan Yu is featured prominently in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国志演義), the 14th-century historical novel set in the later years of the Han dynasty. Its seems almost certain that this box depicts a scene from the novel, perhaps drawing inspiration from popular woodblock prints of the era.
As Guan Yu served was seen as a patron saint by the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty, numerous shrines in his honor were erect. The Qing emperors, particularly the Kangxi Emperor, promoted the veneration of Guan Yu as a means to encourage loyalty. By endorsing Guan Yu, the emperors sought to align themselves with his esteemed qualities (and thus further consolidate their rule). It therefore no surprise to see this imagery on box from this period.
While lacking some of the grace of earlier Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) carved lacquers, Qing lacquers nevertheless have their own unique charms and must be appreciated for their accomplishments as carvers were highly proficient, reaching levels far surpassing that of the prior periods. As decorative themes, characters from stories are commonly found, rendered in sharper, less polished cuts and in far brighter colors.
Much of the Chinese carved cinnabar lacquer of the period was produced in places like Yangzhou in central Jiangsu Province, Suzhou, Beijing and even Sichuan. While Yangzhou was a famous commercial city well known for its vast production of wares, Suzhou was the center for the production of palace goods with production directly controlled by the palace manufacturing office. As a result, local commercial Chinese carved cinnabar lacquer being produced in Suzhou by private workshops at the time was naturally heavily influenced by the official wares.
One of the issues when dating later Chinese carved cinnabar lacquer, particularly Qing wares, is a matter of market perception. Aside from a few top auction houses, much of what is available on the commercial market today is severely misdated, thus confusing buyers and muddying the waters. Poor quality, mid to late 20th century export wares from a period known as the foreign exchange period (1949-1980) (創匯期), are frequently attributed to and presented as Republican era (1912–1949) or more egregiously as Qing dynasty. While examples of high quality do exist from this period and are clearly recorded in historical records, most of the authentic wares of the early, mid and late 20th century that are on the market in present day, are generally of low quality. Many are constructed of other materials, at times molded and applied and frequently misrepresented as cinnabar lacquer. Others are clearly made using low quality techniques intended for export only which leave un-initiated and inexperienced buyers with the skewed impression such items are representative of the period.
Further complicating things is the lopsided overemphasis in scholarship on reign marks, inscriptions and official palace wares. Much of the published details about earlier yuan and Ming lacquer up to Qianlong lacquerwares is neglecting in its entirety, the work of the many private workshops that existed throughout history and in particular the later years. Although some of this gap can be bridged by Chinese language material, this is generally inaccessible to the non-Chinese speaking world.
This box is a product of the mid-Qing dynasty, perhaps from reign of Jiaqing (1796-1820). Where it was produced specifically remains a matter of speculation. Yangzhou is an educated guess.
Size (cm): 17 x 17 x 12
Box size:
Acquired from a Japanese collection