철제은입사 연초상 조선 |鐵製銀入絲 煙草箱 朝鮮|Tobacco box

Unknown

19th century · Iron inlaid with silver; brass fittings · Asian Art

Smoking became prevalent during the late Joseon period, and led to the production of small boxes, such as this iron example with silver inlay, to hold tobacco leaves. In addition to the bird-and-flower imagery, this box shares many motifs with those found on lacquerware, including peony blossoms and hexagonal geometric patterns. It also features auspicious symbolism, evident from the large double-happiness character (囍) on the lid.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Iron inlaid with silver; brass fittings

Culture

Korea

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922