The oldest items decorated with red carved tihong lacquer date back to the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) Dynasties. The process of applying and carving in hundreds of layers took about a year. The red colour was obtained by adding the cinnabar pigment. The popularity of this hue in the China wass associated, among other things, with the symbolism of happiness and prosperity.

History of the Object

This seal ink box from the literati's table were made of lacquer - an extremely expensive and time-consuming technique wich was known in China as early as in the Neolithic Age.