A VERY RARE CHINESE CINNABAR LACQUER 'DRAGON' BOX AND COVER

明永樂 剔紅雲龍紋圓盒
Of circular shape, the top elaborately carved in depths of relief through the red cinnabar to the ground with a leaping five clawed dragon, its claw stretching out towards a flaming pearl, its scaly body in twisting shape amidst a dense scroll of clouds, its head detailed with protruding eyeballs, long horns, and long eyebrows. The sides encircled by bands of matching cloud scroll, the interior lacquered in red, the base lacquered in a brownish black, inscribed with two characters 'Fan Wu' and incised with six character Yongle reign mark. Ming Dynasty Yongle period.

Height: 3 1/4 in (8.3 cm) Width: 8 1/2 in (21.6 cm)

Provenance: Property from an old private collection, Southern California
The majestic cloud dragons frolicking with fiery jewels on this carved red lacquer box exhibit the typical style of the Yongle period, showcasing the grandeur of dragons, akin to the dragon patterns adorning imperial robes, as seen in the portrait of Emperor Yongle wearing a robe with similar dragon motifs (refer to "Portrait of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty" in the Taipei Palace Museum, Fig. 1). The thick layers of lacquer on the box, along with its intricate and lifelike decorations, perfectly demonstrate the exquisite craftsmanship of early Ming Dynasty Yongle-era carved lacquer work, later praised by Emperor Qianlong as the pinnacle of lacquer art. Emperor Yongle advocated for art and culture, fostering the flourishing development of various crafts during his reign. He established the Imperial Lacquerware Workshop in the Garden Factory, located outside the Forbidden City, under the supervision of the court, gathering skilled artisans from all over the country, with Zhang Degang, the son of the renowned lacquer artisan Zhang Cheng from the Yuan Dynasty, leading the workshop. Carved red lacquer, known as "Ti Hong," is the most costly and complex decorative technique in lacquerware. It gradually matured during the Song and Yuan dynasties, reaching its peak during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The process of carved red lacquer is extremely time-consuming, often taking years to complete. Firstly, layers of lacquer are applied, each requiring a considerable amount of time to dry. Multiple layers are then applied to achieve the desired thickness. Subsequent steps involve carving and polishing, with any mistake in carving leading to the loss of previous efforts. The carved lacquerware of the Yongle period typically features more layers of lacquer compared to preceding dynasties, with some pieces having up to one or two hundred layers. As a result, the patterns exhibit rich layers and strong three-dimensional effects. Examples of Yongle-era carved red lacquer boxes with similar motifs and inscriptions are extremely rare, few examples including the Ming Yongle cinnabar lacquer round box in the Taipei National Palace Museum (Fig.2_, and a similar piece sold at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong in December 2004, Lot 16, for a price of 11,252,400 HKD.(Fig.3)
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