Ovoid tray decorated with warriors in a landscape

Storytelling pictures and military scenes became popular ornamentations for Chinese lacquerwares since the Yuan dynasty, suggesting the thriving entertainment and theatrical culture of the time. This charming ovalshaped dish depicts an encounter of two riders, likely an episode from a drama or fiction of the time. One is charging forward with his long spear, while the other is caught off-guard and looking back with a sword. The background is intricately carved with repeated thin lines, juxtaposed with deeper, bolder carvings of rocks and clouds. Oval lacquer pieces with this type of raised rim appeared often in the Yuan dynasty, though they were rarely seen previously.