19th C, Shanxi. Jewelry box shows a eunuch and lady attendant; iron legs made available for chair-side use.
This is a jewelry box for a court lady. The black-lacquered box is decorated in the front panel with painting of a court lady playing in the court-yard of a mansion, accompanied by a eunuch and a lady attendant. The box has a key-fret motif border and a ruyi-shape metal lock-plate. The key-fret and ruyi motifs together wish long life and good fortune to the owner. The top shows crackling of the black lacquer from dryness due to age. The box stands on an iron stand.