Chinese Lacquer Lidded Bowl

A black round box scrawled with script and edged with a red seam.

This lidded bowl in lacquerware and rattan is from China, and dates to the 19th century. Lacquerware in China is made by applying many thin layers of lacquer sap over a base, with each coat dried and polished before the next. A broad, stepped, lidded vessel with rows of ribbed panels around the shoulder. The lid is covered with faint gilt script and small ornamental marks. A line of red shows between the lid and lower part, and the finish has chips and losses. It is 13 inches wide, 13 deep and 5.5 high.

Handwriting all over the lid, plus a red stripe.