A hardstone inlaid hongmu box and cover, Qing dynasty of rectangular form, the conforming fitted cover inlaid in mother of pearl and variously coloured hardstones with six boys gathered around a figure of a qilin, with lingzhi fungus beside rocks, a fruiting plant in a jardiniere, a bowl of fruit and a stack of books, and with two inscribed ivory plaques, one bearing an apocryphal four-character seal mark of Qianlong 14 cm high, 37.5 cm wide, 21.5 cm deep