6.5 cm. （2 1/2 in.） diam.

Provenance：_x000D_
Ben Janssens Oriental Art， London_x000D_
_x000D_
Blooming on withered old branches， plum blossoms are not only a welcome sight in winter， but also a symbol for vigorous old age. This design is very popular on Ming lacquer pieces， and can be observed on a mid-Ming dynasty brush pot in the collection of the Palace Museum， Beijing. Small circular boxes such as the present example were used to store incense powder， cosmetics or other personal items. A practically identical box， closely comparable in the plum blossom design and the starburst ground， but slightly larger in size， is dated to the 16th century of the Ming dynasty and in the collection of the National Palace Museum， Taipei. This comparable example was in the Qing Court collection and originally used to store a jade piece. Another closely comparable cinnabar lacquer circular box from the Florence and Herbert Irving collection， the only difference being the key-fret diaper ground， is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Price estimate:
HKD: 60,000 - 80,000
USD: 7,600 - 10,200

Auction Result:
HKD : --