滝文字散し蒔絵硯箱|Writing Box (suzuribako) with Waterfall and Auspicious Characters

Unknown

late 18th century · Lacquered wood with gold and silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, togidashimaki-e, and gold inlay on nashiji ground · Asian Art

The writing box (suzuri-bako) contains an inkstone, a water dropper in the shape of cherry blossoms, and a brush. The design on the front of the lid is dominated by a rapid waterfall; the stream descends through a range of mountains and rocks surrounded by pine trees and bamboo grass. The river is depicted in gold and silver maki-e that has been burnished down until it is completely flat, a technique called togidashi. Fine lines express the fast-flowing water. At the bottom of the waterfall, bubbly waves are executed in silver and are further enhanced with silver-inlaid roundels to express water drops. There are seven gold-inlaid characters that might refer to a poem or express auspicious notions, such as “turtle” or “thousand years.” Inside the lid the waterfall design is repeated without the characters. The design might refer to the picturesque Miyano-taki falls near Yoshino (Nara Prefecture), a waterfall that has significance in Japanese literature.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 18th century

Medium

Lacquered wood with gold and silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, togidashimaki-e, and gold inlay on nashiji ground

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Stephen Whitney Phoenix, 1881