A QIANGJIN AND TIANQI LACQUER SQUARE 'DRAGON' BOX AND COVERWanli The cover with canted corners decorated with a large front-facing five-clawed scaly dragon with finely incised hair and whiskers chasing a central flaming pearl of wisdom, all amidst floral scrolls above crashing waves and rocks against a wan -diaper ground, the curving sides with bands of floral scrolls and lingzhi , the box similarly decorated, the interiors and base lacquered black. 31.5cm (12 3/8in) square. (2). 明萬曆 戧金填漆龍紋花卉蓋盒 The constant dialogue between different workshops is evident whenparing lacquer and silk textiles; as the present box illustrates, the former appear to have been heavily influenced by the sumptuous silks made for Imperial consumption.pare, for example, the decoration on the lid of the present box with a gold panel of a larger tapestry, Ming dynasty, depicting a similar front-facing dragon striding amidst clouds, illustrated in Theplete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Textiles and Embroideries of the Ming and Qing Dynasties , Hong Kong, 2005, p.3, no.2. See a related square qiangjin and tianqi lacquer box with a dragon, dated 1610, illustrated in East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Hebert Irving Collection , New York, 1991, p.123, no.53. See also a related qiangjin and lacquer square box and cover, decorated with two dragons, Wanli eight character mark and of the period, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Theplete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties , Hong Kong, 2006, p.232, no.183.pare also with a square lacquer box and cover with dragons, Wanli eight-character mark and of the period, dated 1619, illustrated in Chinesische Lackarbeiten , Stuttgart, 1979, pp.130-131, no.78.pare the dragon on the cover to a similar dragon but on a circular lacquer box and cover, Wanli eight-character mark and of the period, illustrated in Ch'iang-chin, Chinkin and Zonsei Lacquerware , Tokyo, 1974, p.72, no.52.