Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 46
A CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER 'BUDAI' CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER 16th/17th century
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£2,500 - £3,500
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER 'BUDAI' CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER
16th/17th century
Carved to the domed cover with Budai, depicted with a jovial expression, dressed in loose garments, carrying a long staff over his right shoulder and holding a fan in his left hand, the sides of the box adorned in high relief with flowering prunus branches, the interior and base lacquered black.
6.5cm (2 1/2in) diam. (2).
Carved to the domed cover with Budai, depicted with a jovial expression, dressed in loose garments, carrying a long staff over his right shoulder and holding a fan in his left hand, the sides of the box adorned in high relief with flowering prunus branches, the interior and base lacquered black.
6.5cm (2 1/2in) diam. (2).
Footnotes
十六/十七世紀 剔紅佈袋和尚圖蓋盒
Budai is widely venerated as an emanation of Maitreya Buddha, embodying prosperity, contentment, and benevolence. The historical figure behind Budai was the eccentric Chan monk Qieci (契此), a native of Fenghua — modern day Ningbo in Zhejiang Province — who lived during the later Liang dynasty (907–923). Renowned for his jovial nature and prophetic insights, Qieci wandered with a cloth sack, dispensing wisdom and generosity, earning him the affectionate title 'Budai,' meaning 'cloth bag.' His legacy evolved into a symbol of abundance and future enlightenment, closely linked to the prophesied arrival of Maitreya in Buddhist tradition. See a slightly earlier example of a cinnabar lacquer circular box and cover carved with Budai, 15th century, illustrated in Karamono: Imported Lacquerwork - Chinese, Korean and Ryukyuan (Okinawa), selections from the Tokugawa art museum, Tokyo, 1997, p.58, no.102. For a similar depiction of Budai on a small lacquer box and cover, late Ming dynasty, see Zhu Jiajin and Xia Gengqi, Zhongguo qiqi quanji (Lacquer treasures from China. Ming dynasty), vol.5, Fuzhou, 1995, pp.170-171, no.161
See a similar small cinnabar lacquer circular box and cover, Ming dynasty, which was sold at Christie's London, 11 November 2015, lot 536. Another carved cinnabar lacquer circular box with Budai, 16th century, was sold at Bonhams New York, 15 March 2021, lot 115.