λ A CHINESE CANTON TORTOISESHELL RECTANGULAR SEWING BOX AND COVER

19TH CENTURY

The exterior carved in relief with a summer scene of many figures engaged in daily life, they fish, enjoy boating and relax in gardens and pavilions, the interior with a removable inner tray divided into fifteen compartments, they contain various implements, with a lock fitting to the front and two metal handles to the sides, all raised on four short feet, 8cm x 21cm x 13cm.

Provenance: from a private collection, London.

Cf. D S Howard, A Tale of Three Cities: Canton, Shanghai & Hong Kong, p.194, no.255 for a comparable tortoiseshell piece described as a work box.