A large Chinese cloisonne; ice chest and covers, of square form, the sides with three bands decorated with white cranes and lotus flowers, flowering and fruiting trees, on a key-fret turquoise ground, the cover in two sections and decorated with a flowering prunus tree and birds, one cover section with two metal pierced circular roundels, approximately 72cm x 72cm square x 48cm high, on carved hardwood stand Ice boxes were widely used in the royal court of the Qing Dynasty (1644-c1911) during the summer in Forbidden City, where temperatures were uncomfortably high. Large ice chests of this type derive from wooden prototypes lined with metal such as lead . The historical archives record emperors, empresses and imperial concubines using the boxes to keep food such as melons, fruits and drinks cool on the hot summer days. The chests would have been filled with ice and were also used to cool the surrounding area. The pierced cover allowed cooled air to escape, which would then be fanned into the room by servants. The form and horizontal gilt-metal ribs echo the original wooden structure, along with the transportable nature of these chests as seen in the sturdily constructed handles. A similarly decorated chest but of the Qianlong period, in the Palace Museum Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Metal-bodied Enamel Ware , Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 129 and see an example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture , London, 1997, p. 99, pl. 89. Please note that this lot will not be available to bid live on the online bidding platforms. If you wish to bid on this lot please contact +44 1635 553 553 or live@dnfa.com in order to leave a deposit.