Red Lacquer Stand with Inscription of “Made by Lu Kuisheng”

This piece passed down from earlier generations served as a both decorative and practical stand to display antiques and curios. The crafter attached more importance to the modeling as opposed to decoration on the upper face of this stand, resulting in a piece with an unadorned rectangular slate but an ingeniously-designed and skillfully-crafted structure which creates an interesting contrast between the thick, heavy slate and the simple, light supporting frame. In the center of the slate back lies a square seal of four quaint and plump Chinese characters meaning “made by Lu Kuisheng”, who was a crafter of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912 AD) known for his “incomparable techniques of making red lacquerware” in historical recordings.