Pair of Qing dynasty two-tone red and black lacquer vases

This pair of Qing period black on red cinnabar overlay lacquered vases is beautifully ornamented with finely sculpted imagery. Each vase, of baluster form with a waisted neck, is densely decorated with high-relief carvings: the carved bands around the neck and socle feature geometrical foliate and floral motifs, while the central band about the body of each vase is carved with figurative scenes. These figurative scenes illustrate sages within a distinctively Chinese landscape, the black-coloured elements of the landscape highlighted against the rich red cinnabar ground, which is itself carved with shallow geometrical forms.