A carved lacquer Tea Tray in the shape of a begonia, with recessed ’hidden’ legs

This carved lacquer tray is in the shape of a begonia and has four small legs hidden in recesses in the black lacquer flat underside. The entire tray is decorated with intricate carvings. The outer rims are decorated with the images of the angular scroll motifs called ‘lei-wen’ in Chinese.

The four outward curves of the inner space of the rims are decorated with carved floral and geometric images in red. The indented space in between the four curves is carved in black with an image of a double lozenge overlapping each other at one point. Each point of the two lozenges is decorated with a carved roundel.

The surface of the tray is decorated with three red lacquer outlines of a begonia. The space within the inner outline is relatively bigger and occupies the central position which is decorated with the gold coin pattern in red and black lacquer, while the space of the inner and the second outline is a narrow band with curves and decorated with the carved images of ‘lei-wen’ in red lacquer. Similarly, the space between the second and third outline is also narrow and is decorated with carved lines which resemble flowers and leaves. These lines are all intricately carved in black lacquer.

The exceptional craftsmanship and the intricate design of this tray suggest that this piece might have been made for a member of the imperial family.