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Tiehuang Bamboo Scholar’s Box, Qianlong, 18th C.  


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DESCRIPTION: A small, rare box crafted in the tiehuang technique, marked and dating from the Qianlong Period (1736 -1795). The outer surfaces of the box are all carved with naturalistic motifs, the top featuring a bird resting on a blooming peony branch (signifying nobility and wealth). The two wider sides also feature carved peony branches, while the two ends are carved in a lily motif. The inner lid carving is raised and holds an interesting, hidden surprise. Here a man and woman have disrobed and the man is making amorous advances toward the female. This scene is set inside an interior room (perhaps a scholar's studio) furnished with tables, benches, and a cabinet full of stacked manuscripts. The footed base of the box is slightly concave on all four sides. A carved Qianlong mark is on the bottom, and the box is of the period. CONDITION: Ink stains on the box, a few minor age cracks. DIMENSIONS: 4 ¾” long x 3 ¼” wide x 2 ¾” high.

TECHNIQUE: The tiehuang (“applied yellow”) technique was first used in the 18th century, and is not commonly known outside of China. In this technique, thin layers of the pale golden inner skin of a section of bamboo stem is removed, in strips or sheets, flattened under pressure, and applied as an appliqué on another wood or bamboo item. This could then be carved, and enabled the bamboo carvers to break free from the circular shapes dictated by the medium.

  Stock #SAO181


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