Gilt-lacquer gaming box with mother-of-pearl chips - China - Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

Exceptional and complete Chinese export set for Western card games (Whist, Quadrille, Ombre), Qing Dynasty (circa 1820–1860). This lot is highly notable for retaining its massive set of 152 natural mother-of-pearl counters housed in their four original interior boxes—a true rarity in today's market where these sets are typically found dispersed or incomplete.

COMPONENTS & DIMENSIONS

Outer Box:
22 x 16.5 x 5.5 cm. Black lacquered wood with rich gold decoration showing riverside scenes, Cantonese pavilions and vegetal borders. It retains its front round brass latch and original hinges. Interior lacquered in a dark reddish tone.

4 Inner Boxes:
10 x 7 x 3.5 cm (each). Rectangular lacquered cases, matched in finish, designed for distributing counters among the four players at the table.

152 Mother-of-Pearl Counters:
Deep-engraved and gouged by a burin, displaying strong iridescence. Export iconography: paired birds (doves), floral motifs, fans and geometric rosettes on a woven background, without heraldic shields.

Typological breakdown (6 formats for different stake values):
43 pcs: Rectangular straight (6.5 x 1.9 cm)
42 pcs: Rectangular lobed (6.0 x 1.8 cm)
17 pcs: Rectangular medium (4.4 x 3.0 cm)
15 pcs: Rectangular small (3.8 x 2.5 cm)
26 pcs: Circular with smooth edge (Ø 3.0 cm)
9 pcs: Circular large (Ø 3.4 cm – 6 smooth and 3 lobed)

CONDITION REPORT

Original and untouched set (untouched condition), with no restorations. The mother-of-pearl counters are in excellent condition, with crisp engravings and no fractures. The gold lacquer decoration remains clearly legible. The outer box shows natural age-related craquelure and shrinkage cracks in the wood (visible on the inside and base) expected in a piece almost 200 years old, along with edge/corner lacquer wear and rubbing around the front latch area. Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.