QING DYNASTY

Of rectangular form supported on four feet, the removable panel finely carved through the rich cinnabar lacquer with a central frame enclosing scholars nestled in a terraced lush garden setting engaging in leisurely activities with two attendants nearby and a distant pavilion amidst a mountainous landscape scene within a raised border of key-fret, all reserved on a floral-diaper ground, the reverse and the sides similarly decorated with scholars playing a game of chess, the front set with a gilt-bronze lock opening to reveal a partition of drawers and two compartments in between a central drawer, the top fitted with a hinged gilt-metal double handle with ruyi-shaped ends, the interior and the base lacquered black.

L 35.2 cm