Pair of peach-shaped boxes and covers

On his tour of the Far East in 1922, Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII; 1894–1972) spent many hours seeking examples of Chinese and Japanese craftsmanship to take home. In Kowloon, opposite Hong Kong Island, he enjoyed 'visiting the markets and buying souvenirs in the shops'. At Nikko, he also 'spent a morning walking through the precincts of the temples; [and exploring] the quaint curio shops'. Many of the purchases were for his mother, Queen Mary (1867–1953), who was an enthusiastic collector of Chinese and Japanese works of art. Before the Prince's trip, she seems to have given her son careful instructions about pieces he should acquire during his travels. This pair of Chinese lacquer boxes, purchased in Japan, contains a label which states 'to the order of the Queen'. They depict two of the Eight Immortals, legendary figures from Chinese mythology.