177.
A ‘FAMILLE VERTE’ RECTANGULAR BOX AND COVER
Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, late 17th century
6,2 x 10,5 x 7,5 cm
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 4018.
All the decoration on this small lidded box concerns the world of literati and their hope to live a secluded life in constant contact with nature, far from the mundane troubles of the cities, sharing with few selected companions the favoured pastimes: making a boat tour, as the poet Su Shi and his friends did in 1082 when they visited the Red Cliff; playing weiqi chess; discussing about higher arguments; practising with calligraphy and painting; playing music.
The style with which the rocks have been painted on the lid of this box recalls the manner of the so-called “Master of Rocks”, whose work is more common on ‘blue and white’ porcelain of the second half of the seventeenth century.
