Precious Spring Longevity Box. Culture: China. Dimensions: Diam. 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm). Date: 1736-1795.The Qianlong emperor commissioned at least eighteen versions of this box. He especially valued the design on the top: a large representation of the character for spring (chun, an allusion to long life), and a small image of Shoulao, the god of longevity. The character and the overflowing bowl below it are set against a background of radiating rainbows. The bowl of treasures motif first appeared in carved lacquer in the sixteenth century; it was incorporated into this more complicated program of imagery during the reign of Qianlong. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.