AN OCTAGONAL 'EROTIC' BAMBOO VENEER BOX AND COVER, ZHUHUANG, QING DYNASTY China, 1644-1912. The top of the cover carved in low relief with a couple engaged in amorous pursuits on a craggy rock under a tree in a terraced garden, encircled by eight panels showing the same couple in various erotic positions, all above eight side panels with ruyi heads and scrolling vines. Provenance: British private collection. Condition: Good condition with minor wear, light scratches, natural age cracks, few minuscule nicks. Some bending and losses to wire inlay. Very fine, naturally grown patina. Weight: 636.7 g Dimensions: Height 10.2 cm, Width 22 cm The red lacquered interior shows a partly legible inlaid two-character mark, the second character reading 'chun'. The ruyi head and scrolling vine motif is repeated above eight panels with auspicious symbols. Intricately rendered in the zhuhuang or bamboo veneer technique and deftly decorated in relief, the present piece is an exceptionally fine object likely once gifted to a newly married couple as they prepared for their life together. The making of this piece involved the application of several thin panels, taken from the inner wall of the bamboo stem, over a wood core. These panels are then bound and held in place by the thick rims around the box and cover. The smoothly executed contours and proportionate symmetry of the box's octagonal shape demonstrate the deft finish of this piece. Auction result comparison: Compare with a bamboo veneer brushpot at Sotheby's Hong Kong in Gems of Chinese Art - The Speelman Collection II on 3 October 2018, lot 3444, bought-in at an estimate of HKD 800,000-1,000,000, and a related bamboo veneer octagonal box and cover, also carved with Buddhist auspicious symbols like the present lot, at Sotheby's Hong Kong in The World of Qianlong on 27 April 2003, lot 18, bought-in at an estimate of HKD 800,000-1,000,000 清代竹雕春宮圖八方蓋盒 中國，1644-1912年。蓋的頂部中央以及四周八個開光内都浮雕春宮圖。盒子八面雕刻如意與纏枝紋。 來源：英國私人收藏 品相：狀況良好，有輕微磨損，自然裂紋，極少的微小划痕。 有些邊緣有缺損。自然的包漿。 重量：636.7 克 尺寸：高 10.2 厘米, 寬 22 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一個竹製筆筒，於香港蘇富比Gems of Chinese Art - The Speelman Collection II 拍場，2018年10月 3日，lot 3444, 估價HKD 800,000-1,000,000；一個相似的竹製八方蓋盒，於香港蘇富比 The World of Qianlong 拍場，2003年4月27日，估價 HKD 800,000-1,000,000。