On December 12, the opening ceremony of Ingenious Creation: Fine Lacquerwares Collected by Xitai Tang, jointly organized by the Guangdong Museum Development Foundation, Guangdong Museum, and Xitai Tang, was held in the 3M Mezzanine Hall of Guangdong Museum. Yan Yongshu, Director of the Museums and Social Cultural Relics Division of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, attended the ceremony and declared the exhibition open. Among the guests present were: Ruan Huaduan, Deputy Director of Guangdong Museum and Chair of the Guangdong Museum Development Foundation; Huang Yan, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum; Xiao Qialong, former Director of Guangdong Museum and former Head of the Guangdong Cultural Relics Authentication Office; Zeng Lingling, Deputy Director of Guangzhou Museum; Qian Huiming, Party Branch Secretary of the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum; Lin Feng, Chair of the Guangxi Cultural Relics Authentication Committee; Chen Shaoxiang, Chair of the Guangdong Collectors Association; as well as guests from various sectors and media representatives who gathered to witness the opening of the exhibition.
The ceremony was moderated by Hu Ruitao, Deputy Director of Guangdong Museum of Art and Vice Chair & Secretary-General of the Foundation. Speeches were delivered successively by Ruan Huaduan (Deputy Director of Guangdong Museum and Chair of the Guangdong Museum Development Foundation), Li Shengzhong (Owner of Xitai Tang), Wang Heng (Chair of DSPPA Audio Co., Ltd., and Director of the DSPPA Audio Museum), and Feng Qingchun (Executive Vice Chair of the Calligraphy Art Research Society of the China National Society for the Promotion of Arts and Culture).
A donation ceremony followed. Deputy Director Ruan Huaduan presented a certificate of donation to Mr. Li Shengzhong, the owner of Xitai Tang, expressing heartfelt appreciation for his generous donation of Brush Pot with “Auspicious Joy” Motif in Ivory Inlaid with Mixed-Material Treasures and 24 pieces/sets of other cultural relics to Guangdong Museum.
The exhibition showcases 113 representative lacquerware pieces from the Xitai Tang collection, including carved lacquer, inlaid lacquer, filled-in lacquer, and gilt lacquer works. It offers general visitors an accessible introduction to traditional Chinese lacquerware while enabling specialists to deepen their appreciation of its forms, craftsmanship, and aesthetics. Through a combination of exceptional lacquerware and vivid photography, the exhibition highlights the exquisite artistry, rich cultural meanings, and enduring allure of ancient Chinese lacquerware.
Two thematic lectures were also held on opening day: Identifying Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Lacquerware from Ming–Qing China and Japan and The Emperor’s Treasure Cases: Carved Lacquerware for the Qianlong Court. Both lectures offered visitors a deeper understanding of the historical value embedded in Chinese lacquer art.
Selected Highlights:
Qing Dynasty — Carved Red Lacquer Plum-Blossom Shaped Box with Landscape and Figures
Qing Dynasty — Carved Red Lacquer Plum-Blossom Shaped Box with Landscape and Figures
The box is shaped like a plum blossom, with black lacquer interior and base. The cover depicts two elderly men crossing an arched bridge, one carrying a basket of birthday offerings and the other holding a gift, followed by an attendant with a walking staff.
The composition uses wan-character motifs for the sky, wave patterns for water, and key-fret patterns for the ground. Mountains, pavilions, bridges, trees, and drifting clouds form an intricate scene. Figures appear natural and vividly rendered, with strong relief enhanced by the brocade-style background.
Qing Dynasty — Carved Red Lacquer Box with Painted Enamel Floral Panels
The box is in six-lobed form with flat top and fitted lid. Entirely coated in red lacquer. The top of the lid is decorated with key-fret and overlapping-diamond-shaped patterns as dividers. The central round medallion and six fan-shaped panels are inlaid with painted enamel floral motifs. The walls of the box are decorated with large and small key-fret diaper patterns. Interior and base are coated in black lacquer.
Ming Dynasty — Carved Rhinoceros-Horn Style “Ruyi Cloud” Circular Plate
The plate is in the seven-lobed floral form with a curved wall and a matching seven-lobed foot ring. It is black-lacquer "tixi" (carved rhinoceros horn pattern), with three intervening red lacquer lines. The center is carved with a modified persimmon-calyx motif, surrounded by two rings of "ruyi" clouds. The exterior wall is carved with seven groups of flowing cloud patterns. The base is black lacquer with a vermilion square mark.
Qing Dynasty — Polychrome Carved Lacquer Begonia-Shaped Box with “Magu Presenting Longevity” Scene
The box is begonia-shaped, with a flat top, curved walls, fitted mouth, and foot ring. The surface is coated with five layers of colored lacquer from bottom to top: yellow, reddish-brown, yellow, green, and red. The begonia-shaped medallion on the lid is carved with the scene of Magu Presenting Longevity, using key-fret, wave, and cash-coin patterns for the sky, water, and ground, respectively. The lid and box walls are decorated with various flowers on a key-fret diaper ground. Interior and base are coated in black lacquer.
Qing Dynasty — Black Lacquer with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay, Mallow-Shaped Plate
The plate is in the shape of a six-lobed mallow, coated in black lacquer. The interior wall and center are finely decorated with flower petals and diaper patterns using inlaid mother-of-pearl. The center features a "taiji" (yin-yang) motif, surrounded by a hexagonal and six-petaled leaf structure. The rim is bound with copper. The exterior wall and base are coated in black lacquer, with only a gilt "Xin" (Heart) character in the center of the base. The surface is inlaid with fine, tiny iridescent (silvery-white, green, lotus-pink) shell pieces, creating a rich decorative effect and a three-dimensional appearance.
Qing Dynasty — Black Lacquer Drum-Shaped Box with Mother-of-Pearl “Viewing the Waterfall” Scene
The box is drum-shaped, with a flat top and foot ring. The body is black lacquer, inlaid with thin mother-of-pearl and gold-foil patterns. The lid decoration is "Viewing the Waterfall." Soft mother-of-pearl and gold-foil pieces depict high mountains, thin strips of shell form the waterfall, light green shell pieces form the splashing water, and short, curved, transparent shell pieces form the flowing stream. Gold foil is used for pebbles and silver flakes for the bank. The scene combines motion and stillness with clear layers.
Qing Dynasty — Ebony-Framed Hanging Panel with “Imperial Poem on White Lotus” in Filled Lacquer
Ebony frame. The panel is coated in red lacquer, with a green-filled tortoise-shell and chrysanthemum diaper pattern. In one corner is an imperial poem written for the Emperor Qianlong by the Ruyiguan (Palace Workshop) calligrapher Cao Wenzhi, with mineral pigments added to achieve an ink effect. The center of the panel is filled with mineral and pearl powders to depict water lotuses, and mineral pigments to depict algae. The panel's main motif is graceful and lively, full of vitality and clear, elegant meaning.
Qing Dynasty — Gilt Lacquer “Magpies Bringing Joy” Plum-Blossom Box
It is a plum-blossom-shaped box, coated in red lacquer. The flat lid has a key-fret border medallion, which features a incised-gold "wan" (swastika) diaper ground, overlaid with a carved incised-gold and polychrome lacquer scene of “Magpies Bringing Joy” in the style of Song dynasty painting. The tree trunk and flowers are fully carved and filled, and the feathers on the magpies are meticulously carved and gilded, making them lively and vivid. The walls of the lid and box are decorated with incised-gold and polychrome lacquer floral scrolls. A continuous key-fret border runs near the foot. The interior and base are coated in black lacquer.
