This rare pottery box was made during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220). It is a two-part box, the cover of which has been elaborately painted in red and white pigments. The four protrusions to the cover act as feet when the cover is taken off the box and inverted. Although such boxes are rare and not widely documented, there is a reference in the fine 1996 book "Chinese Ceramics, the New Standard Guide" by He Li (ISBN 0-500-23727-1) where a similar example is described as a "covered box for food", saying that such food containers were used by all social classes and have been found in tombs in most northern provinces.

This is a large and impressive object with a length of 44.5 cm (17.5 inches), width & height 18 cm (7 inches). Although there is some loss of pigment, and a hairline crack to the edge of the cover, it is in exceptional condition, with no sign of restoration or repair.

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