RARE CINNABAR LACQUER 'RUYI CLOUD' CIRCULAR BOX QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG MARK AND OF THE PERIOD the domed cover crisply carved with gradually larger bands of ruyi-shaped cloud motif, centripetally arranged and faced except the border, carved and gilded to the underside with 'Pan Yun Bao He' (The Treasure Box of Ruyi Cloud), the box decorated further with two bands of counter facing ruyi cloud before the short straight foot, the base carved to the centre with a six-character Qianlong mark filled with gilt, all interior and base covered in black lacquer (Dimensions: 21.2cm diameter) (Qty: 1) (21.2cm diameter) Qty: (1) Footnote: Provenance: Cape Town de Smidt family collection, by direct family descent. The de Smidt family, originally from Middelburg in Zeeland, was one of the first families moved from the Netherlands to Cape Town, South African. With an original letter and envelope from Ambassade der Nederlanden (Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) to Mr Reg. de Smidt A.R.I.B.A (1899-1968) dated to 10th May 1954, including the translation of two marks on the box (illustrated). The current owner has seen this box in his grandmother Sussan Margaret de Smidt's (1912-2000) house when he was a toddler. Lot essay: Lacquer is an organic material that is made from the excreted sap of the lacquer tree (Rhus verniciflua). It was first produced in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC) and widely applied on utensils with a wood or metal core in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771–256 BC). Carved lacquer of the Southern Song (1127-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) periods often feature a newly invented abstract geometric design- ruyi cloud motif, or also known as ‘pommel scroll’ for it resembles the shape of the ring-pommel on early Chinese sword.[1] The design of carving with rows of ruyi cloud pattern often involved with intermittent red and black lacquer layers, known as tixi technique (meaning ‘marbled lacquer’), and rarely found in single colour lacquer as seen on the current example. It has generally been used as a synonym for guri lacquer, a Japanese term describing the spiral designs.[2] A rectangular cinnabar lacquer dish with closely comparable deeply carved ruyi-cloud pattern on the whole dish, dated to the Qing dynasty 18th century, was in the Qing Court collection and now is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (museum number Gu Qi 故漆141). In the same collection, there are six smaller cinnabar lacquer circular boxes, similarly bear two gilded marks with a 'Pan Yun Bao He' mark on the underside of the cover and a six-character Qianlong mark on the base of the box, but differently carved with swirling cloud pattern around the body (museum number Gu Qi 故漆60-63, 277, 278). A square tixi box carved overall with ruyi-cloud pattern with layers of intermittent black the yellow lacquer, inscribed with gilded Qianlong mark and of the period, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing.[3] [1] Watt, J.C.Y, and Ford, B, East Asian Lacquer, The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1991歐p. 27 [2] Lee King-tsi and Hu Shih-chang, ‘On Chinese Tixi Lacquer’, Orientations, September 1993, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 65-68. [3] Palace Museum online collection archive: https://www.dpm.org.cn/collection/lacquerware/234528.html