Square cinnabar lacquer tray
Jiajing mark and period, 1522 – 1566
Dimensions: 18.3 x 18.7 cm | 7 3/16 in x 7 3/8 in

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This square tray has indented corners, curved sides, and a flat base upon a square foot rim. The interior is carved with a scene of Laozi seated on an ox accompanied by a single walking attendant in a landscape setting of rocks, willow and acer trees. The sky is picked out in a bold diaper ground of diamond form with floral centre, and a pavilion building hovers in the clouds. The scene is placed within a square and indented frame. Both the internal and external sides are carved with flowers of the four seasons, whilst the base is lacquered a dark brown and marked vertically in the centre, with a six-character engraved and gilt Jiajing mark.

This unusual tray was probably produced in the early part of the reign before Taoist symbols began to dominate the decoration. Laozi is believed to have written the Daode jing – The Classic of the Way and Its Power in the sixth century BC.

Similar example: Carved Lacquer in the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985 – no. 175 illustrates a tray of the same shape; however, no other tray with comparable decoration appears to have been published.