Rectangular box in vermeil, decorated with scenes of figures in relief on a turquoise blue enamel background. The hinged lid features a relief scene depicting a battle between the kingdoms of Qin and Jin during the Spring and Autumn period. The edges are decorated with a frieze of flowers and birds.
The sides of the box offer a contrast, depicting peaceful scenes of sages and deer, the eight Taoist immortals bearing their attributes, a fisherman at the water’s edge, and a woodcutter in a landscape populated by pine trees, rocks, and bamboo.

Under the base, the mark “Tan Yue He,” written in
Chinese characters 谭粤和, attests to the origin of one of the most renowned workshops of its time. According to Paul Bromberg’s book Thai Silver and Nielloware, creations bearing this signature, from the Tan Yue He workshop, are distinguished by the perfection of their metalwork and enamelwork and were often made to royal order in the 1870s and 1880s for members of the family of King Rama V of Siam. Some well-known pieces are said to have been made for Queen Sunanda Kumariratana (1860-1880), while others were presented at the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris under the title Palis de Siam, thus demonstrating the international recognition of this exceptional workshop.

Bibliography:

Paul Bromberg, Thai Silver and Nielloware, Bangkok, 2019, p. 202