Chinese Lacquer Hand-Painted Toiletry Box with Mirror

About the Item

We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Valuable and original Chinese toilet box, it was made of wood, then covered with the technique and the art of lacquer, inside there are several compartments, a central very large and two other small sides equipped with hinged lids, under the box there is a convenient drawer, in the inner part of the central cover was placed a mirror that completes the extreme versatility and usefulness of the box. The upper part of the box represents a pleasant and graceful landscape of the Chinese countryside with typical plants and shrubs; in the center, in relief, was placed the silhouette of a bearer of rattan baskets wearing the "sugegasa", traditional cone-shaped hat of Chinese peasants, the whole has been decorated by hand with bright colors by a skilled artist and painter who performed the representation with meticulousness and skill taking care of the entire work in detail. This rare box was made entirely by hand between 1949 and 1951 in a workshop in the city of Changsha in Hunan, one of the most important lacquer production centers in China. The art of lacquer is typical of the Far East, and of China, in particular, where already in very ancient times were discovered the possibility of using the precious resin produced by the tree called lacquer tree, Rhus vernicifera. Its complex process requires a long time and meticulous care, but in the end, it is possible to obtain manufactures of great beauty and extraordinary perfection. The technique and art of lacquer along with silk and porcelain constitute one of China's greatest contributions to universal art. For twenty-five centuries, lacquers in China have been considered artistic and luxurious objects. They were made after a long series of slow, meticulous, and complicated operations, which involved, one after the other, a dozen craftsmen and artists. The objects, usually made of wood, are carefully prepared for lacquering with a coating of very fine paper, then left to dry and carefully smoothed with pumice, and finally covered with several layers of lacquer and left to dry slowly in a humid, dark environment, protected from dust, then carefully sanded. The object thus patiently prepared is finally ready for the final operation of decoration; this can be done by brush, using the same lacquer with added colored pigments. Our box, made with all these unique and ancient techniques that have remained unchanged over the centuries until today, is an example of exquisite beauty and superb quality. The box is in good condition, inside there is some imperfection, excellent condition of the painting. Measures length cm34, depth cm.21, height cm.10.For all our shipments we use special packaging materials (wooden crates, styrofoam, etc.) for maximum protection and safety of the objects.

Dimensions:

Height: 3.94 in (10 cm)Width: 13.39 in (34 cm)Depth: 8.27 in (21 cm)

Style:

Chinoiserie (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Wood,Lacquered

Place of Origin:

China

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1949-1951