A finely carved polyc🐠hrome lacquer 'longevity' box and ꦰcover

Mark and period of Qianlong

清乾隆 剔彩春壽寶盒 《大清乾隆年製》、《春壽寶盒》款

of compressed circular form and masterfully carved through multiple layers of polychromous lacquer, the cover prominently emblazoned with the character chun (Spring) enclosing a roundel of the God of Longevity Shoulao, flanked by a pair of distinctly carved sinuous five-clawed dragons among ruyi-head clouds, all raised above a lobed bowl of auspicious items including an infinity knot, a flaming pearl, ruyi heads, coral, coins, ingots, reserved against red, green and yellow radiating waves, all against an intricately brocaded background of wan swastika and encircled by an undulating foliate scroll band, the sides of the cover and box each carved with four lobed cartouches featuring panels of various scenes, the cartouches punctuated at the cardinal points with the Eight Treasures, all against a floret diaper ground, sandwiching an undulating scroll of lingzhi fungus, the foot further carved with a keyfret band, the interior and base lacquered black, the base incised with a six-character reign mark followed by four characters reading chunshou baohe (‘precious box of Spring and longevity’)

d. 36 cm