As a visual information specialist, one of my jobs is to measure objects that have been selected for an exhibition, just to make sure they’ll fit into our cases. This also gives me the opportunity to look at works of art up close before they go on view. The upcoming exhibition Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art features one of my favorite objects: a Japanese lacquer box from the Edo period that Charles Lang Freer acquired more than one hundred years ago. When I first looked at it, I was struck by the powerful image of a man on a horse in movement. The overall design has a textured surface made with various materials, including mother-of-pearl, used to create the man’s face, and gold and silver, which decorate his clothes and outline the horse.
Rinpa takes its name from the painter, textile, and lacquer designer Ogata Korin (1658–1716). The style became associated with innovative designs for objects including lacquerware. In fact, this lacquer writing box was done in the style of Korin and depicts a scene from the Japanese classic Tales of Ise.
The inside of the lacquer box is just as beautiful as the exterior cover. It has clean lines that outline a landscape image, also using silver and gold. The box has small compartments for writing materials. The inlay design of the interior seems to have a smoother finish than the horse and rider on the cover.
I am excited for this particular lacquer box to be on display in the coming months. Although it is a simple writing box, it has a mysterious feel to it that makes me wonder if it was a decorative piece in a household or used by nobles or high officials. Who was the letter writer, and what did he or she write?
When Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art opens in the Freer on June 28, the writing box will be featured along with nearly forty works of art by Korin, his brother Kenzan, and later artists inspired by Rinpa designs.
