Box and Lid thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
China, Room 44, The T.T. Tsui Gallery

Box and Lid

ca. 1550-1650 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
China (made)

Box and cover, circular, red lacquer on a yellow ground, shallowly carved with two long-tailed birds in flight against a background of prunus and other flowering sprays. Floral border round the vertical side. On the lower part, floral borders round the curved and vertical sides. Key-fret border round the foot-rim. The interior and base black.


Object details

Categories
Lacquerware
Containers
Object type
Box and lid
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Box
  • Lid
Materials and techniques
Red lacquer, carved
Lacquer
Carved
Brief description
Box with lid, carved red lacquer on wood, China, Ming-Qing dynasty, ca. 1550-1650
Physical description
Box and cover, circular, red lacquer on a yellow ground, shallowly carved with two long-tailed birds in flight against a background of prunus and other flowering sprays. Floral border round the vertical side. On the lower part, floral borders round the curved and vertical sides. Key-fret border round the foot-rim. The interior and base black.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 24.2cm
  • Height: 12cm
Styles
Ming
Qing
Marks and inscriptions
楊茂造 (From Register, on the base)
Translation
Made by Yang Mao
Transliteration
Yang Mao zao
Gallery label
Box with bird design Ming-Qing dynasty 1550-1650 The ribbon-tailed bird is a symbol of longevity. In combination with camellias, flowers of the spring, it makes a wish for eternal youth and long life. Carved lacquer on wood Sir Harry Garner Gift Museum no. FE.50-1974(2009)
Production
A jar in the Palace Museum, Beijing, also with the Yang Mao mark, belongs to the same group.
Subjects depicted
Bird
Prunus
Camellia
Bibliographic references
  • The Oriental Ceramic Society. Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society 1955-57, vol. 30. London: Oriental Ceramic Society in association with Sotheby's Publication, 1958. p. 72, no. 238.
  • Garner, Harry (1979) Chinese Lacquer, London-Boston: Faber and Faber, p. 106, pl. 46
  • Chinese and Associated Lacquer from the Garner Collection, London : British Museum, 1973 86
  • Catalogue of an exhibition of the arts of the Ming dynasty. London : Oriental Ceramics Society, 1957 238
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
FE.50-1974

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O495521/box-and-lid-unknown/
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