Doucai Boxes. Doucai is a technique in painting Chinese porcelain, where parts of the design, and some outlines of the rest, are painted in underglaze blue, and the piece is then glazed and fired. The rest of the design is then added in overglaze enamels of different colours and the piece fired again at a lower temperature of about 850°C to 900°C. The style began in the 15th century under the Ming dynasty in the imperial factories at Jingdezhen, Reference: Wikipedia
Below are some examples and price guides of some Doucai boxes including a circular box from the Qing Dynasty and a ring shaped box marked Chenghua.
A doucai circular box and cover
Qing Dynasty
The cover with two pairs of confronting chilong encircling a lotus spray, the sides with a meander of leafy lotus stems. 9.8cm (3 7/8in) diam. (2).
Sold for £5,062.50 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2019
A DOUCAI BOX AND COVER
CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
Sold for EUR 6,875 at Christie’s in 2021
QING DYNASTY DOUCAI CHARACTER COVER BOX ; H5cm
Sold for US$1,000 at Castle Valley Art Gallery Inc, in 2023
A ‘doucai’ Ring-shape Box And Cover, Mark Chenghua
Sold for US$100 at Houston Antique Auction LLC in 2023
A Doucai Decor Box Depicting Chinese figures in garden, Wanli mark, 8 cm. tall.
Sold for €1,700 at Veilinghuis de Jager in 2022
