Catalogue Note
The meticulous workmanship on both the cover and the base contribute to the rarity of the present lot. It is also noteworthy that the interior is inscribed with the four characters Yúnlóng bo hé below the reign mark. The use of additional inscriptions in describing the vessel itself is a feature of some of the finest of the Qianlong lacquer wares. One of the most splendid examples is a Shouchun box in the Palace Museum in Taipei inscribed with the characters chunshou baohe.
Another example is a box from the Baoyizhai Collection, also meticulously decorated in polychrome with a basket of emblems below a large character chun, which literally translates to the word 'spring'. Similar to the above examples, this box not only bears the Qianlong mark, it is also inscribed with four gilded characters Shou chou paohe, 'Eternal youth treasure vessel' describing the piece.
Another example is a box from the Baoyizhai Collection, also meticulously decorated in polychrome with a basket of emblems below a large character chun, which literally translates to the word 'spring'. Similar to the above examples, this box not only bears the Qianlong mark, it is also inscribed with four gilded characters Shou chou paohe, 'Eternal youth treasure vessel' describing the piece.