Mid 19th Century Lacquered Presentation Box

This round lacquered box dates to the mid-19th century and would have been presented to another as a gift, filled …
This round lacquered box dates to the mid-19th century and would have been presented to another as a gift, filled with foods, clothes, or other ceremonial gifts. Remarkably, the two halves of this box are not a match and were likely combined from two separate boxes from the same maker. Each half is intricately painted with fine scholars’ objects in a palette of blue, orange, and white atop a black lacquer underlayer. The lid is painted with a watery landscape, perhaps depicting one of the many Great Flood narratives in Chinese mythology. Today, we love this storied lacquer box as an elegant hiding place for household clutter.