European-form Coffer
CultureJapanese
DateMomoyama period (1573-1615)
MediumBlack, gold, and silver lacquer on a wooden frame with mother-of-pearl inlay and metal hinges and fittings
DimensionsOverall: 5 15/16 × 9 × 5 1/8 inches (15.08 × 22.86 × 13.02 cm)
Credit LineBequest of John S. Thacher
Object numberF85-14/8
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionNanban (export) coffer-style box made with black, gold, and silver lacquer. Mother-of-pearl inlays (roughly cut) in the shape of leaves and flower adorn the wood frame.Gallery LabelFrom the late 16th century to the 1680s, Japanese made dome-shaped boxes and chests for export to Europe. Although the lacquer techniques and designs were of Japanese tradition, the shape was European. Such export lacquer wares are generally known as Nanban (Southern Barbarian) wares, the name that the Japanese called the Europeans.
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