Chinese Lacquer Round Tray

Shallow dish in deep red that has seen a lot of fingerprints.

This round lacquer and wood tray is from China, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. Lacquered trays were everyday and ceremonial objects in China, used for serving tea, food and offerings, with a wooden body coated in many thin layers of lacquer. Wide, shallow round dish with a gently rising rim and a dark outer wall. The inside glows a mottled red, worn in places down to browner tones. The surface shows a soft sheen and scattered tiny marks.

Modest in height, generous in sheer red.