Untitled

Unknown

early 18th century · Black lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl; wire · Asian Art

The rolling hills, small pavilions, and tripartite division of the landscape shown on the top of this box derive from Chinese painting. The foreground is viewed from above, the middle ground directly, and the background from below. The clear distinctions between the three parts of the landscape specifically parallel the conservative painting traditions favored by the Qing court in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The elegant rendering of the flowers in the cartouches on the sides of the box and the precise geometric designs also reveal an awareness of Chinese art at that time.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 18th century

Medium

Black lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl; wire

Culture

Japan (Ryūkyū Islands)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015