Circular Box with Cover, 18th century, 3 x 7 5/16 x 7 5/16 in. (7.6 x 18.6 x 18.6 cm), Carved red lacquer (t'i-hung), China, 18th century, Much eighteenth century red lacquer was minutely carved and left unpolished like this finely detailed circular box. The cover depicts scholars celebrating the festival of Liu Shang ('floating cups'), which fell on the third day of the third month. Scholars would assemble along a suitable riverbank and float cups of wine in the water aiming to write a poem in the space of time it took one cup to pass between one scholar and the next. The Liu Shang festival was rooted in the famous gathering of scholars in 353, instigated by the great calligrapher Wang Hsi-chih (321-379) who promoted a similar drinking/poetry contest.