The Art of Carved Lacquer

One of the most significant pieces in Count Karl von Luxburg's collection is a lidded box crafted from red carved lacquer. It was likely produced in an imperial workshop in Beijing during the early 15th century, specifically in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

The lidded box, made from a wooden core, was covered with multiple layers of ultra-thin red lacquer. This red carving lacquer is known as tihong. The craft of lacquer carving originated in China and was later practised in Japan as well. This labour-intensive technique required great skill. The lacquer was derived from the resin of the lacquer tree and dyed with cinnabar. Once all the layers of lacquer were applied, a master lacquer artist created the decoration in two levels of carving.

A pair of dragons can be seen on the lid. Surrounded by clouds, the two dragons are chasing the flaming Buddhist wishing jewel, which is said to bring good fortune. In China, the dragon was a symbol of the emperor. Two dragons represented the imperial couple. Illustrations of dragons with five-clawed talons were reserved by decree for the imperial family.

A signature is incised on the underside of the box: 大明永樂年製 (Da Ming Yongle nian zhi), which translates to "Made in the Yongle period of the Great Ming [dynasty]". The incised six-character mark of the Yongle period (1403-1424) was obscured by an inventory number for a long time and only became visible during the course of the bavarikon project.