Lot 147
THREE-COLOUR CINNABAR LACQUER 'MELONS' BOX AND COVER
QING DYNASTY, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
Auction: 17 May 2024 from 10:00 BST
Description
清 剔彩瓜瓞綿綿隨形蓋盒
of irregular form, the cover carved through the cinnabar lacquer with green, brown and black details, depicting two ripe melons borne on flowering vines against a diaper ground, sides of the box carved with a wan diapered ground, the interior and base lacquered in black
Dimensions
12.3cm wide; 137g
Provenance
The Estate of Sir John and Lady Clare Keswick at Portrack House, Dumfriesshire.
Sir John Henry Keswick, KCMG (1906–1982) was an influential Scottish businessman in China and Hong Kong. He was the tai-pan of Jardine, Matheson & Co., the leading British trading firm in the Far East, and had established friendships with many Chinese politicians, including Zhou Enlai, Premier of the People's Republic of China, and Madame Soong Ching-ling, wife of Sun Yat-sen during his stay in China. He was also a representative of the Special Operations Executive, a British intelligence service during the Second World War. Sir John spoke fluent Chinese. He was a Chinese art collector, particularly contemporary paintings.
He married Clare Mary Alice Cynthia Catherine Celia Elwes (1905–1998) in 1940 and had a child Margaret Keswick (1941–1995) who founded Maggie's Centres for those suffering from cancer.
Footnote
A comparable three-colour (ticai) cinnabar lacquer ‘melon’ box and cover with irregular form, dated to Qing dynasty, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, museum number guqi 故漆154N; Also see a related three-colour cinnabar lacquer ‘bitter melon’ box and cover, Qing dynasty, is in the abovementioned collection, museum number guqi 故漆148N.