The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Cover for a Carved Lacquer Scroll Box

1736–95

China, Qing dynasty

(1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)
cinnabar carved lacquer on wood
Overall: 14 x 14.7 x 59 cm (5 1/2 x 5 13/16 x 23 1/4 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1969.32.a
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 appears 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 originally housed the handscroll, CMA 1969.31, private portraits of the Emperor Qianlong, his empress, and 11 other favorites among his presumed 40 or more wives during his 60-year reign.
  • 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
  • {{cite web|title=Cover for a Carved Lacquer Scroll Box|url=false|author=|year=1736–95|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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