椿堆朱香合|Incense Box (Kōgō) with Camellias

Unknown

13th century · Carved red lacquer · Asian Art

Small boxes of this type, which are preserved in Japan in some number, are often identified as incense boxes, for they were used as such during the tea ceremony. It seems likely that boxes of this type were also used in China to hold incense or other powdered substances such as cosmetics. The camellia spray on the cover is set against a plain background, a characteristic of early carved lacquers that would reemerge in the sixteenth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

13th century

Medium

Carved red lacquer

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Barbara and Sorrell Mathes Gift, 2005