南宋　雕漆剔黑山茶紋盒|Box with camellias

Unknown

13th century · Carved black and red lacquer · Asian Art

The lacquer body is built on a red-orange ground and has a thin layer of lacquer near the top that outlines the camellia blossoms and leaves in red, an allusion to the color of this flower that blooms around the Chinese New Year. As is typical of the thirteenth century, there is little overlapping of leaves and petals, and much of the ground is exposed. The lack of incisions to indicate the veins of the petals and leaves is another thirteenth-century characteristic.

Artist

Unknown

Date

13th century

Medium

Carved black and red lacquer

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015