Lacquer circular box with plum blossoms

Ming dynasty, 16th century
Diameter: 3 1/4 inches, 8.2 cm
Height: 1 3/4 inches, 4.5 cm

Fig. 1 Lacquer circular box with plum blossoms, National Palace Museum, Taipei

A cinnabar lacquer box of circular form with straight sides, terminating in lipped rims. The flat top and base sections are similarly carved through a thick layer of lacquer with an overall design of plum blossoms and leaves on branches. The naturalistic design is set against a background of finely carved wavy diaper. The interior and the lipped rims are both lacquered black.

The decoration of blossoms of the plum tree is emblematic of perseverance and purity, and also serves as a longevity symbol. Blooming on withered old branches, plum blossoms are not only a welcome sight in winter, but also a symbol for vigorous old age. The five petals represent the so-called Five Blessings: old age, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a natural death.[1] This design is very popular on Ming lacquer pieces and can be observed on a mid-Ming dynasty brush pot in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing.[2] Small circular boxes such as the present example were used to store incense powder, cosmetics or other personal items. A practically identical box from the Florence and Herbert Irving collection, the only difference being the diaper ground, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.[3] Another closely comparable cinnabar lacquer circular box, dated to the 16th century of the Ming dynasty and carved with a plum blossom design also against a different background, is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (fig. 1).[4] This example was in the Qing Court collection and was originally used to store a piece of jade.

1. Tse Bartholomew, T. Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, 2006, 7.48, p. 212
2. Gugong Museum: Yuan Ming Qiqi (Yuan and Ming Dynasties Lacquer) – Complete Collection of Treasures Gugong, Hong Kong/China 2006, no. 98, p. 132
3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art online collection archive, accession number: 2015.500.1.102a, b.
4. Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colours: Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1999, no. 43, p. 64

剔紅梅花圓盒
明 十六世紀
徑：8.2 公分 高：4.5 公分
蔗段式盒，平蓋平底，子母口，盒內髹黑漆，盒蓋與盒底於厚層紅漆上刻飾梅花，下櫬水波紋。梅花
枝幹挺勁，綻放枝頭，或仰或背，兼以渾圓花苞，錯落有致，構圖疏朗雅緻。梅花綻放枝頭，象徵長
壽與精力旺盛的晚年生活，而梅花五瓣亦象徵五福：長壽、財富、健康、快樂與平順。此類小型漆盒
多用做盛放薰香之香粉或香餅、或作為粉盒，或盛放小型珍玩。臺北國立故宮博物院藏有一件明代剔
紅梅花圓盒，尺寸較小，梅花下櫬錦地紋，為清宮舊藏，盒內清宮原置玉璲。美國紐約大都會博物館
亦收藏一件剔紅梅花盒，梅花下襯連續回紋，尺寸與本品類似，亦定年為明代。