A pair of melon shaped weiqi boxes with covers, China.

See a similar pair sold at Bonhams, Sydney August 10, 2022, lot no 62.

The game of Go 'Wéiqí' originated in China in ancient times. It was considered one of the four essential arts of a cultured Chinese scholar in antiquity and is described as a worthy pastime for a gentleman in the Analects of Confucius. The game was described by Thomas Hyde in 1694, but it did not become popular in the West until the late 19th century.