明早期 彩漆描金纏枝蓮紋皮箱|Traveling box with lotus scrolls

Unknown

early 15th century · Polychromatic lacquer, leather, wood, and iron damascened with gold · Asian Art

This extraordinary box, most likely made for a Tibetan visitor to the Chinese court, would have been used to carry belongings, both personal goods and gifts such as porcelains and textiles. The large lotus scrolls painted on the sides, and in particular the spiky blossoms, derive from Nepali artistic traditions that were introduced to China in the late thirteenth century. Such floral design also became a standard motif commonly found among early Ming imperial works in various media including cloisonné enamel.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 15th century

Medium

Polychromatic lacquer, leather, wood, and iron damascened with gold

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Rogers and Fletcher Funds, and Henry G. Keasbey Bequest, 1999