鴛鴦形蒔絵香合|Pair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin Ducks

Unknown

second half of the 19th century · Lacquered wood with gold and silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, and togidashimaki-e, cutout gold foil application · Asian Art

The Altman bequest to The Met included fifty Japanese lacquers, featuring a group of small decorative incense boxes. Such objects were popular collectibles in Europe during the second half of the nineteenth century, following the eighteenth-century fashion of collecting small maki-e objects as part of aristocratic interior decoration. In East Asia mandarin ducks represent marital bliss and fidelity; they are often depicted on ceramics, lacquers, and textiles as auspicious symbols associated with weddings.

Artist

Unknown

Date

second half of the 19th century

Medium

Lacquered wood with gold and silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, and togidashimaki-e, cutout gold foil application

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913