A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘MAGPIES AND CAMELLIA’ BOX AND COVER, LATE 18TH TO MID-19TH CENTURY

A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘MAGPIES AND CAMELLIA’ BOX AND COVER, LATE 18TH TO MID-19TH CENTURY China. Of circular cushion form, supported on a short straight foot. Finely decorated in bright enamels to the domed cover with a central medallion depicting two magpies amid leafy blossoming camellia against a black ground, surrounded by a band of leafy flowering angel’s trumpet and butterflies, repeated on the sides of the box, the gilt rims framed by bands of ruyi heads, the foot encircled by scrolling vines. Provenance: London trade. Acquired from an old collection. Condition: Good condition with minor wear, few small cracks with losses to the interior and exterior, few minor fills, small dents, pitting, nicks, and light scratches. Weight: 386.8 g Dimensions: Diameter 12.5 cm Literature comparison: Compare a related larger cloisonné box with cover, similarly decorated with a central medallion depicting birds and flowers, albeit on a red ground, dated to the 18th century, 21.8 cm diameter, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 2014.136.FA,B. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, 29 November 2022, lot 25 Price: DKK 20,000 or approx. EUR 2,800 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Chinese cloisonné-enamel 'lotus pond' box and cover. Qing, Late 18th/early 19th century. Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and decoration with similar central black-ground medallion. Note the larger size (20.5 cm).