Description
This “tied gilt copper box with painted enamel image of multicolored clouds on a black ground” displays a light blue glaze on the interior and a richly colored cloud design on the exterior against a glossy black background. The cloud patterns on both sides are identical, with four layers of gradation from light to dark, effectively showcasing the characteristics of the glaze used to paint enamels. The vibrant multicolored clouds against the glossy black create a dynamic contrast between movement and stillness. The bottom of the box is slightly concave, surrounded by a rectangular frame formed by a pair of red Kui dragons, within which is the inscription in red Song-style characters, “Made during the Yongzheng era.” According to the “Huo Ji Dang” (literally “Activities Archive”) of the Qing court, in 1729, Emperor Yongzheng, upon seeing a foreign lacquer box with wan character brocade patterns, instructed the enamel workshop to produce a similar black enamel box. There is a similar Japanese maki-e inro in the National Palace Museum’s collection, suggesting that the shape of this box may have been inspired by the Japanese inro.