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Japanese, Japan

Box with Pine, Bamboo, and Plum, 1800s

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Japanese

Title

Box with Pine, Bamboo, and Plum

Year

1800s

Medium

Wood with lacquer and gold

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • lacquered wood,
  • gold

Dimensions

4.4 x 10.9 x 9 cm (1 3/4 x 4 5/16 x 3 9/16 inches) (outer box)

Place

Japan; Japan

Type

  • Lacquerwork

Credit

Gift of Misses Anna and Louisa Case

Object Number

20.092

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Asian Art Galleries

These nested boxes are decorated with plum, bamboo, and pine, known as the Three Friends of Winter. As hardy plants that don’t wither despite the harshness of winter, the three symbolize perseverance and resilience—values prized in Confucianism. Also common to lacquerware motifs are scattered fans that depict vignettes, floral designs, and auspicious animals. The fans on the box at left shimmer with brilliance, floating above a rich black ground.

In the Japanese lacquer technique maki-e (sprinkled pictures), gold and silver flecks are applied to damp lacquer. The process of applying, drying, and polishing layers of lacquer is then repeated to seal in the designs, which can be flat or raised.

Rockefeller Asian Art Gallery

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Box with Pine, Bamboo, and Plum with the accession number of 20.092. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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