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Description:
Ref: 801SB http://hygra.com/box/801SB 

A box constructed in a combination of concave and straight lines resulting in a characteristic Regency form, redolent of ancient structures. It is decorated with a delightful vision of Cathay executed in polychrome painting on a black ground, featuring oriental figures, exotic birds and magnificent flora. The box stands on gilded repousse feet and has gilded drop loop handles to the sides. Inside the box contains its original tray. This box is a very special example of chinoiserie: it weaves many conventions of the genre in well-orchestrated scenes of aesthetic sensitivity infused with gentle humour. It is a symbol of the eclectic spirit of the period. Circa 1815.

Origin: UK;  Circa: 1815; Materials: .

Size: 27.4 cm wide by 21.1 cm by 14.7 cm:  10.8  inches wide by  8.3 inches by  5.8 inches.

Condition: Overall very good for this type of work. Loss to varnish and paint here and there, as in the tree under the canopy on the top. Fading of varnish in places. Fortunately the box has survived without attempts to take off the original varnish and interfere with the finish; working lock and key; see images

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Top: The central panel with the main scene is framed by a concave surround painted with undulating stylised carnations. This is an unusual concession to European taste, not often found in chinoiserie decoration. The flowers are delineated against the black background, showing the light wood underneath. The only colour is provided by small dots of red. In contrast to the subtly-coloured surround, the central picture bursts with vivid colours. 

The scene is once again a depiction of human interaction in a garden setting. There is a standing figure dressed in the robes of a high ranking official. His square badge of rank is clearly visible on his chest. He is wearing a hat with a “Mandarin button” (a round ball) on top, out of which a feather emerges. 

It is likely that he is meant to be a Mandarin of the order of the Peacock. He looks as if he is listening carefully. His face is painted with exquisite detail, from the shading under his eyes to his fine moustache and tiny mouth. Another figure, richly dressed but presumably of a lower rank, kneels before him. His face is looking straight and his hand gesture implies some sort of request. He too is wearing a distinctive hat, a pointed one, in the more conventional fashion of oriental head-wear. On the left there is a flowering bush with enormous flowers and drooping seed heads. A mischievous bird listens to the humans, introducing a note of light-heartedness and humour to the proceedings. With one dot for an eye the bird has diffused the tension of the scene.

 Perhaps a garden is the best place for conducting business? A lesson from Cathay? On the right there is a formal pavilion swathed in flowers and seed heads gracvitating towards the ground. The roof is quite complex with a double level allowing for patterns of colour. The columns supporting it are straight with leaves to the base. Are the leaves painted or painstakingly grown to fit the shape of the bottom? It is almost as if these leaves have escaped from another box decorated not in chinoiserie, but in the neoclassical style. But then surprise is part of chinoiserie. Another bird is perched on top of the highest branch which bursts over the roof of the pavilion. The bird looks far too heavy for the flimsy twig, as if he is craning to see what the humans are doing. 

What is it all about? The scenery is a combination of control provided by the structured pavilion and abundance, created by the exuberant flowers. True to the essence of Cathay, the human story is unfolding in the middle of both nature and art. Although the box is a European interpretation of the East, the artist seems to have understood and captured the spirit of what at the time was an alien exotic culture. This box is a time-capsule gem. 

Inside:

 The tray is made of maple and is original. It retains its original paper covering and silk covered lids.

Front: 

The front composition is arranged in two halves separated by a large central vase. The two halves are nevertheless connected by the human inter-reaction of the characters. 

The female figure on the left turns to look at what is happening on the other side of the vase. Perhaps she is alerted by the woman on the right calling to her child. The figures on the left are playing with birds. 

The woman is holding a bird in her hand and the man is coaxing another bird which is perched on a tree. There are similar flowering trees forming canopies on both sides. On the right hand side there is also a slim tree snaking its way up. This type of tree, which looks like an abstraction of a palm, is often found in chinoiserie decoration. 

The faces on all the figures, especially the woman looking up, are expressive beyond stock figure convention. A few delicate strokes suggest curiosity, or concern. 

 

The painting is similar to that of a tea chest documented on our website:

http://hygra.com/uk/tc/tc107/
Click on image or link.	TC107 A Rare Polychromed tea chest with scenes of oriental life Circa 1815-20

 

Side: Two large exotic birds look at each other over the gilded handle. They look as if they have just had a quarrel. 

Birds are very important in oriental culture and this is acknowledged in the decoration of the box with its repeated bird themes. 

The plants bend and sprout providing a background framework for the birds to strut.

Back: The scene on the back tackles another theme pertinent to the orient. 

A figure dressed in the opulent robes of an important person sits on a bench with his feet on a stool and smokes a long pipe. The pipe suggests opium smoking, a habit nurtured by the merchants of the English East India Company, who made enormous profits by forcing farmers in India to grow opium poppies, which when converted to opium, they sold to the Chinese. A young person sitting on a low bench and dressed in colourful clothes entertains the smoker by playing the flute. 

The whole scene is set in a garden. Well-to-do erudite persons considered gardens the right setting both for culture and entertainment, the two concepts inextricably linked in the consciousness of the Chinese. The faces of the figures are delicately shaded and contrast with the vivid colours of their clothes and the riotous plant life of their surroundings.

 In true chinoiserie convention the plants are painted disregarding proportion and perspective and are there to compliment the human interaction. This has nothing to do with reality, but with what is important: the aesthetic vision of the artist. The tree on the left has flowers as wide as its trunk and triple formed buds reaching down to what looks like enormous lilies, almost as tall as the trunk of the tree! Behind the smoking man there is a pot of flowers. Pots were popular in formal Chinese gardens. The central tree with its flowers and dangling seed heads undulates so it fills the space between the two figures. 

On the right of the flute player there is another huge plant in front of a garden pavilion. Real pavilions were a feature of Chinese gardens, which was often depicted in chinoiserie decoration. 

Here the pavilion is roofed in colourful tiles and appears to contain pots of flowers, providing yet more colour and variety to the scene.

See:  http://hygra.com/teaand.htm 

Side: The bird theme continues, this time with smaller birds on branches with berries. These birds look as if they are having a conversation. The birds look too large for the branches and the lily type flowers on the ground look enormous compared to the branches. The scene is lively and joyful.

 The tray is made of maple and is original. It retains its original paper covering and silk covered lids.

The facing of the tray is rounded and has an inlaid ebony line.

The silk covered lids with turned bone pulls are all original.

The lift out tray is made from maple. It is as the box lined with its original pink coloured paper.

Detail of  top:

 There is a standing figure dressed in the robes of a high ranking official. His square badge of rank is clearly visible on his chest. He is wearing a hat with a “Mandarin button” (a round ball) on top, out of which a feather emerges. 

It is likely that he is meant to be a Mandarin of the order of the Peacock. He looks as if he is listening carefully.

 His face is painted with exquisite detail, from the shading under his eyes to his fine moustache and tiny mouth. 

 

Another figure, richly dressed but presumably of a lower rank, kneels before him. His face is looking straight and his hand gesture implies some sort of request. He too is wearing a distinctive hat, a pointed one, in the more conventional fashion of oriental head-wear. On the left there is a flowering bush with enormous flowers and drooping seed heads. A mischievous bird listens to the humans, introducing a note of light-heartedness and humour to the proceedings. With one dot for an eye the bird has diffused the tension of the scene.

The woman is holding a bird in her hand

The faces on all the figures, especially the woman looking up, are expressive beyond stock figure convention. A few delicate strokes suggest curiosity, or concern. 

A

The faces of the figures are delicately shaded and contrast with the vivid colours of their clothes and the riotous plant life of their surroundings.

A figure dressed in the opulent robes of an important person sits on a bench with his feet on a stool and smokes a long pipe. The pipe suggests opium smoking, a habit nurtured by the merchants of the English East India Company, who made enormous profits by forcing farmers in India to grow opium poppies, which when converted to opium, they sold to the Chinese. A young person sitting on a low bench and dressed in colourful clothes entertains the smoker by playing the flute. 

The box stands on gilded repousse feet and has gilded drop loop handles to the sides.