A CHINESE ENAMEL EUROPEAN SUBJECT LIDDED BOX, QIANLONG (1736-1795)

拍品描述

A CHINESE ENAMEL EUROPEAN SUBJECT LIDDED BOX, QIANLONG (1736-1795) The box is of octagonal form, the hinged cover and body edged with gilt-metal mounts and fitted with a shaped clasp. Its construction combines painted enamel panels with metal framing, the faceted outline lending the object the character of a refined small casket or table box intended for personal use or display. The cover is decorated with a European subject scene, showing a seated female figure with a child beside a large vessel, enclosed within a pink border and set against a pale ground. The side panels are ornamented with dense black scrolling foliage reserved against white, creating a strong graphic contrast with the more colourful figural scene above. The interior is similarly enamelled, with both the inside of the lid and the base painted with fruiting and leafy sprays centred on pale white grounds. These interior panels suggest that the box was intended to delight when opened, revealing a decorative programme that continues beyond the exterior surface and enhances its function as a luxury object. Chinese painted enamels of the Qianlong period often reflect the sophisticated exchange of taste between China and Europe, particularly in works made for export or for courtly appreciation of foreign subjects. The European figures and bright palette here sit alongside Chinese ornamental conventions, resulting in an object that is at once cosmopolitan, decorative and technically accomplished. A finely decorative Qianlong enamel lidded box, notable for its octagonal form, gilt-metal mounts, European-subject cover scene and vividly painted floral interior. Length x Width x Height: 8.2 x 6.8 x 3.6cm

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