Beschreibung:

China, 15th-16th century. The flattened surfaces of both box and cover are finely carved and incised in high relief with a luohan wearing voluminous robes and seated on a woven mat, sheltered by a tree, surrounded by shrubs and rockwork, against a floral diaper ground. The interior covered overall in black lacquer. The core most likely made from metal. Provenance: Derek Clifford, Hong Kong (old collector’s label with number ‘26’ to interior). Christie’s Hong Kong, 7 July 2003, lot 726 (conservatively dated to the 17th century in the respective catalog entry), auction label to interior. A noted private collector of Chinese lacquer, acquired from the above. Derek Clifford (d. 2003) was a British art expert and collector, who wrote many books about a wide range of arts, including Chinese Carved Lacquer, published in 1992. His son, Sir Timothy Clifford was the director of the National Galleries of Scotland from 1984 to 2006. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, small nicks and losses, mostly to black lacquer interior. Microscopic natural age cracks, some with invisible fills. Weight: 111.7 g Dimensions: Diameter 6.2 cm With a padded box and cover. (2) Expert’s note: Boxes that are decorated on both the top and bottom surfaces are rare, with only a few extant examples recorded. Compare a related box included in the exhibition 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, 1993, illustrated in the catalog, no. 70, and another sold by Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 November 2004, lot 726. All three boxes, including the present example, are heavy for their size, suggesting that the inner core is constructed of metal. Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related cinnabar lacquer box and cover (7.2 cm diameter), also dated 15h-16th century, at Christie’s New York in Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 13 September 2019, lot 919, sold for USD 43,750. 明代剔紅羅漢蓋盒 中國，十五至十六世紀。圓盒，蓋子兩面均高浮雕，兩位羅漢皆身著寬大僧袍，坐於編席上，樹蔭掩映，背後灌木石林環繞，花草鋪地。盒內部施黑漆。很可能是金屬胎。 來源：香港Derek Clifford (盒内老藏家標籤“26”)，香港佳士得2003年7月7日 lot 726 (拍賣目錄中斷代保守地追溯到十七世紀)，盒内有拍賣標籤 ；知名中國漆器私人收藏，購於上述拍賣。Derek Clifford (d. 2003) 是一位英國藝術專家和收藏家，他撰寫了許多關於藝術的書籍，其中包括 1992 年出版的關於中國漆器的書籍。他的兒子Timothy Clifford爵士於 1984 年至 2006 年擔任蘇格蘭國家美術館館長。 品相：狀況極佳，有輕微磨損、小劃痕和缺損，主要是盒内黑漆。細微自然年齡裂縫，有些幾不可見的填充物。 重量：111.7 克 尺寸：直徑6.2 厘米 配套蓋盒 (2) 專家注釋：上下兩面都裝飾的漆盒很少見，現存的例子很少。 《中國漆器2000年》展覽，香港東方陶瓷學會，1993年，圖 70；另一件為香港佳士得售出，2004年11月1日，拍品726。一共三個盒子，包括本品，相對他們的尺寸都比較重，說明內核是金屬的。 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近剔紅蓋盒 (直徑7.2 厘米)，同樣為十五至十六世紀，見紐約佳士得Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2019年9月13日lot 919, 售價USD 43,750。