清乾隆 剔彩春壽寶盒|Precious Spring Longevity Box

Unknown

1736–1795 · Carved red, green, and yellow lacquer · Asian Art

The Qianlong emperor commissioned at least eighteen versions of this box. He especially valued the design on the top: a large representation of the character for spring (chun, an allusion to long life), and a small image of Shoulao, the god of longevity. The character and the overflowing bowl below it are set against a background of radiating rainbows. The bowl of treasures motif first appeared in carved lacquer in the sixteenth century; it was incorporated into this more complicated program of imagery during the reign of Qianlong.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1736–1795

Medium

Carved red, green, and yellow lacquer

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015