Small lobed cinnabar lacquer tray
Ming Dynasty, early 16th century
Diameter: 19.5 cm | 7 11/16 in

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The twelve sided foliated rim and gently curving sides rest on a similarly shaped raised foot rim with a recessed flat base and a thick wood core. The rim is carved with a narrow diaper – in the style of some Yuan lacquers – the interior sides sparsely decorated with flowers and leaves, against a diamond floral diaper. The tray’s flat bottom depicts a figurative scene of a scholar accompanied by five attendants – all seated on the floor of a rocky outcrop amongst acer and pine trees; the earth and sky are composed of two diaper grounds. The exterior sides are decorated with a denser floral border depicting flowers of the four seasons, and the base is lacquered in a plain brown with crackleur.

Although there are no marked Zhengde lacquer wares, there exists an early 16th century group – falling between the palatial landscapes of Hongzhi and the symbols of Jiajing – to which this tray belongs. They exhibit quite distinctive features: the specific representation of pine clusters – the needles curving around in a clockwise direction; and the depiction of hands – normally concealed in fifteenth and sixteenth century lacquers.

Similar example: Chinese Carved Lacquer, Derek Clifford, Bamboo Publishing, 1992 – plate 66. This small tray called ‘The Necromancer’ shares many of the same characteristics – the size, shape and solid structure of the tray, as well as the style of carving; the latter is particularly noticeable in the two diaper grounds, the rocks, bushes and trees; it is dated to the first quarter of the 16th century, or ‘middle Ming’.