Untitled

Unknown

second half of the 18th century · Black and red lacquer, mother-of-pearl application (metal wire inlay) · Asian Art

Rich mother-of-pearl inlays in various colors show a scene of men in boats catching fish and surrounded by seagulls. The shape of the incense box and the style of its decoration recall lacquers made in the Ryūkyū Islands (present-day Okinawa). From the fourteenth to the mid-sixteenth century, the Ryūkyū kingdom acted as a center for the flow of goods between China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asian countries. Owing to the rarity of these lacquers, copies or works in a similar style were created in Kyoto, the probable source of this box.

Artist

Unknown

Date

second half of the 18th century

Medium

Black and red lacquer, mother-of-pearl application (metal wire inlay)

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891