Chinese Cinnabar Carved Ram Covered Box with Lacquered Interior

Red lacquer box with the lid representing a scholar and children playing in a mountainous garden, the outer sides covered with repeated geometric patterns. This box was made in China...

Carved round cinnabar box on brass with a blue enameled interior and underfoot. The carved top centers on peonies growing from a rocky outcropping with ...

This antique decorative box is unsigned, but presumed to have originated from China, and date to approximately 1920 and done in a period Chinese...

Vintage Chinese carved cinnabar lidded box with black enameled interior. The carved lid centers on a basket of flowers on a patterned field within a framed reserve.

Vintage Chinese Red Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Floral Trinket Box.

A petite Chinese cinnabar lacquered turtle box, circa 1980's. The box is in very good vintage condition and measures 3.5"W x 2.5"D x 1.75"H. #3427

A pair of lovely Boxes in the style of Cinnabar. Intricately Carved small boxes with a removable lid, revealing a blue lacquer inside. Perfectly suited for decorative purposes or ...

1960's Chinese Box in Carved Red Lacquer, Bronze Hardware and Blue Enamel Interior. Marked with Chinese export sticker

This intriguing Chinese zhadou is intricately carved of fine cinnabar lacquer. A work of exceptional artistry, this covered bowl is adorned with an intricately carved floral motif on all surfaces, including the cover and the wide rim. Also known as a cuspidor or spittoon, this rare container would have been used by members of the imperial family and scholar- officials at the court. Carved during the Kangxi period (1662-1722), this charming piece exhibits the high detail and charm associated with items from that period, making it a true treasure, Early 18th century (Kangxi dynasty) Measures: 6 ¼” wide x 3 ¼” high Cinnabar has been revered for its color all over the world. It has been found in the royal burial chambers of the Mayas, in the rituals of India, and in the ruins of ancient Greece and Rome. In China, cinnabar and gold were the two most important elements in alchemy. Mined since the Neolithic Age, cinnabar is the ore of mercury, and as such, it can be incredibly toxic, especially when mining. In fact, during the Roman Empire, miners at Spain’s Almadén mine in Spain were frequently exposed to mercury fumes, and the subsequent, often fatal, sickness was considered an occupational hazard. The most popular known use of cinnabar is in Chinese carved lacquer-ware, a technique that is believed to have originated in the Song Dynasty, in which cinnabar is ground to a powder and added to clear lacquer. As with mining, there was inherent danger of mercury poisoning for those who carved the lacquer, as mercury was also released into the air when artisans ground the pigments. Most antique cinnabar...

A metal framed box with all-over lacquer decoration featuring multi-coloured flowers, leaves, ribbons. The inside of the box is veneered in a light wood. It is stamped China on the u...