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Subject:Re: Red lacquer box
Posted By: Michael Sun, Jul 27, 2008
Hello Stephen,
I'm not sure what you mean by identify and I don't like to see a posting to go unanswered so I'll tell you what I can about your box.
I believe the overall shape of the box is meant to resemble a Chinese peach which in China is a symbol of longevity and a common gift motif. This is a good attribute as most lacquer boxes seen are rectangular or round.
The material most likely is, as you say, lacquer meant to resemble cinnabar, this type of carved lacquer is often refered to as cinnabar. However, true Chinese cinnabar is at the newest hundreds of years old, it's manufacture was stopped because it was a highly toxic process. Also, be sure it is not resin meant to immitate lacquer, resin will be much heavier than lacquuer and have tiny unmelted resin beads in the crevices, you have to look for them with a loupe.
If you perform an Internet search with the terms "Chinese carved lacquer" or "Chinese cinnabar" you will find thousands of results that you can compare with the box you have.
The thing to focus on when comparing is the quality and complexity of the carving, detail, and motif. Motifs that involve a story depiction with identifiable characters, deep and complex highly detailed three dimensional carving tend to be of the most interest to collectors. Shallow carving of generic floral motifs tend to interest collectors the least.
Finally, as in anything else, condition is important. In the case of Chinese carved lacquer the most desireable pieces will have no flaws in any respect.
Without examining the box in person I wont speculate on the age of your box.
Hope this helps you Stephen.
Best regards,
Michael
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- Stephen - May 14, 2008 (09:17 PM) 