The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 13, 2025

Carved Lacquer Scroll Box

Carved Lacquer Scroll Box

1736–95
(1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)
Overall: 14 x 14.7 x 59 cm (5 1/2 x 5 13/16 x 23 1/4 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This is the original box for the handscroll Portraits of the Qianlong Emperor and His Twelve Consorts, CMA 1969.31.

Description

The elaborate design, superior craftsmanship, and inscription carved into the red cinnabar lacquer proclaim the imperial pedigree of this scroll box. On either end is a five-clawed dragon, a design reserved only for an emperor. More dragons twist and wind through swirling clouds and waves along the length of the box’s sides and top. The carving is intricate and vigorous, while the design is controlled and regular.

This box housed the private portraits of the Qianlong Emperor, his empress, and 11 other favorites among his presumed 40 or more wives during his 60-year reign. It was commissioned to be made in Suzhou when no more portraits were added to the scroll. An entry in the imperial workshop records relates to the Cleveland box. It states that in 1787, a box design with a dragon pattern, including the inscription, In his heart is envisioned a peaceful reign, was sent to a Suzhou workshop.

Imperial portraits were collected in the Chonghua Palace in the Forbidden City, and the emperor’s portrait was kept in this red lacquer box from Suzhou.
  • after 1736
    Qing imperial collection (Emperor Qianlong, r. 1736–1795), Beijing, China
    December 17–18, 1928
    (Hôtel Drouot, Paris, France. December 17–18, 1928 sale. Lot 329)
    ?–1969
    (Spink & Son, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1969–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • I° Collection de M. J. Poberejsky (Première Vente), Importante Suite de Pierres Dures de La Chine ..., II° Appartenant À Divers Amateurs, Céramique de La Chine, Laques de Pékin, Sculptures Cambodgiennes et Siamoises, Importants Brule-Parfums et Paravent En Émaux Cloisonnés ..., Belle Suite de Peintures Provenant Du Palais Impérial (XVIIIe Siècle) ... 17 and 18 December 1928 sale. Hôtel Drouot, Paris, France. Mentioned; lot no. 329, p. 34
    Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1969.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 57, no. 1, 1970, pp. 2–50. Mentioned: p. 51, no. 234 www.jstor.org
    “Art of Asia Recently Acquired by American Museums, 1969.” Archives of Asian Art, vol. 24, 1970, pp. 86–117. Mentioned: p. 127 20111025
    Wilson, J. Keith. "Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 77, no. 8 (1990): 286-323. Reproduced: cat. no. 36, p. 322 www.jstor.org
    Franklin, David and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. Reproduced: p. 216
  • China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).
    Silent Poetry: Masterworks of Chinese Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 14, 2015-April 24, 2016).
    Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 24-November 25, 1990).
    Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
  • {{cite web|title=Carved Lacquer Scroll Box|url=false|author=|year=1736–95|access-date=13 February 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.32