77 - Two lidded boxes made of polychrome glazed porcelain, decorated with figures, China, 19th century

Two lidded boxes made of polychrome glazed porcelain, decorated with figures, China, 19th century - One is octagonal in shape; the lid is decorated with an interior scene showing a man leaning slightly toward an elderly man seated at a high table and holding a long staff. A lakeside scene adorns the rim of the box. Six-character Tongzhi mark in zhuanshu script in iron-red on the base. H.: 3.2 cm. - The other, cylindrical box, depicts the third scene of the fourth act of *The West Chamber* (*Xixiang Ji* - *西厢记*), the farewell scene between the scholar Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying. Since Zhang Sheng’s mother insisted that he travel to the capital to pass his exams before she would consent to the marriage, a farewell gathering was organized in a garden. Cui Yingying arrived by horse-drawn carriage, escorted by her maids. Zhang Sheng then proposes a farewell toast (symbolized by the cup of wine) and offers her a flowering branch as a token of eternal fidelity and a wish for success. The maidservants pour wine into the ewer to seal this melancholy farewell, while the lovers exchange poems and tears, fearing that the distance and the temptations of the capital will separate them forever. Another scene depicts them on the lid. H.: 11.7 cm