19th-Century Chinese Export Black and Gilt Lacquer Wood Box

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There are small, decorative wood boxes from many cultures. Some are ideal for holding hand sewing tools. Others, equipped with … Read more There are small, decorative wood boxes from many cultures. Some are ideal for holding hand sewing tools. Others, equipped with a lock, like this example, might hold those bulky bangle bracelets, or more delightfully, be used for secreting away silk-ribbon tied packets of love letters. Carved or covered in milk paint, decorated with flowers, Western-made versions charm. But in southern China’s 19th-century Canton (today’s Guangzhou), box making specifically for export to the European market reached the heights.
Highly prized due to their intricate craftsmanship and expense, they were often used as markers of status and wealth and could be presented as diplomatic gifts or for auspicious occasions such as marriages. Crafted of wood and coated with deep rich lacquer, these boxes were then exquisitely decorated with actual gold powder or gold foil incised into the drying lacquer.
The technique often conveyed themes of prosperity, longevity, or as demonstrated on this octagon-shaped box set on gilded feet, idealized scenes of classical Chinese life. That would be one spent amid beautiful gardens, pursuing scholarship or intellectual discussion—or perhaps a little gossip—with one’s most esteemed companions. The central scene is framed by decorative borders adding to the richness of this box’s design. Just the thing to make mending more bearable. See less