Writing Box
Original Language Title蒔絵硯箱
CultureJapanese
DateLate 1700s to early 1800s
MediumBlack and gold lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay
DimensionsOverall: 1 15/16 × 6 1/2 × 7 1/4 inches (4.9 × 16.51 × 18.42 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number33-113 A-H
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionWriting box with lid in polished black lacquer wtih flowering shrubs before the full moon. Interior contains an ink slab and a metal water coupe.Gallery Label
These elegant boxes were designed to hold writing
implements associated with the fine art of calligraphy in Japan. Such boxes are often decorated with classical Japanese
themes. The naturalistic details and unified composition of this elegant design
are characteristic of Japanese artists of the 1800s. Drawing inspiration from
the increased exposure to European naturalism, Japanese artists were interested
in representing the minutiae of nature within a coherent, three-dimensional
space.
With Yamanaka & Co., New York, by 1933;
Purchased from Yamanaka & Co. by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1933.
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