H. 31 cm Condition A LARGE OCTOGONAL BOX FOR SWEETS, China, 17th/18th ct., the large box is made of wood, painted and partly lacquered. Thin basketry work is used for the open grid of the top and bottom sections, painted and pre-modelled immortals children, and animals are fixed on the wooden parts or basketry panels. Tianguan and Shoulao, the protectors of children, are depicted at the top. Between the top and bottom part of the box an octagonal plate with six separated sections is inserted for presenting the sweets or food to avoid mixing the two. For the colouring and gilding of the figural appliqués the zhaojin or miaojin zhaoqi techniques, first recorded in the Xiushi Lu in the 16th century (cf. Wang Xixiang, 1983, section 91, pp. 82+83 and section 98, pp. 94+95), have been used. The designs are carefully painted with a special yellow lacquer called jingjiao. When it is nearly dry, the designs are overlaid with either gold leaves or powdered gold. Details are drawn on the gold with black ink. Covering the object is a layer of transparent lacquer, a mixture of lacquer and tong oil.- Property from an Austrian private collection, acquired before 1990-Some damage due to age and partially rest.