Blue and white folding branch embroidered ball cover box

[Blue and White Folded Hydrangea Pattern Cover Box]

Blue and White Folded Hydrangea Pattern Cover Box, Qing Guangxu, with a height of 9.4 cm, a caliber of 14.9 cm, and a foot diameter of 9.3 cm
The box is in the shape of Mantou, with the upper and lower mouths lapped together and feet encircled. The inside of the box is painted with white glaze, the upper and lower outer walls are decorated with blue and white folded branches and hydrangea patterns, and the center circle on the top of the box is painted with a deformed lotus pattern. The upper and lower edges and the outer wall of the circular foot are all painted in blue and white with a “T” shaped border decoration. On the outsole, there are four double line characters in blue and white seal script, “Tihe Dianzhi”
The Tihe Palace is the rear hall of the Yikun Palace, one of the six western palaces in the Forbidden City. In the tenth year of Guangxu’s reign (1884), in order to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, 630000 taels of silver were used to repair and renovate the Storage and Xiu Palace. At that time, the Chu Xiu Gate and the front courtyard wall of the palace were demolished, and the rear hall of the Yi Kun Palace was opened up as a hall of passage, named “Tihe Hall”, connecting the two courtyards of the Chu Xiu Palace and the Yi Kun Palace, serving as the dining area for Cixi when living in the Chu Xiu Palace. The current building is in good condition
This box has a full shape, neat patterns, and pure blue and white hair color. The “Body and Palace Made” pattern on the outsole indicates that it was a daily porcelain fired by the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Factory for the Empress Dowager Cixi at that time. Hydrangea, also known as “pink ball flower”, “wood hydrangea”, and “Ziyang flower”, is a common garden flower. The flower color can change with the change of soil acidity and alkalinity. It is said to be one of the favorite flowers of Empress Dowager Cixi. It blooms in summer and looks like a hydrangea ball with a delicate fragrance


青花折枝绣球花纹盖盒款识