- Provenance
- Provenance research underway.
- Label
-
The exterior of this octagonal box is decorated in the qiangjin (engraved gold) technique. In this method of embellishment, the box is repeatedly coated with layers of red lacquer. Lines are then engraved into the surface and a coat of clear lacquer is applied. While the lacquer is still sticky, gold powder or gold leaf is pressed into the lines to fill them. This decorative technique has a long history of use in China and was especially popular in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A spray of peony flowers, the "king" of flora, enlivens the top of the box and adds an allusion to nobility.
The construction of the box is ingenious. A removable middle ring can be placed between the top and bottom halves to accommodate taller objects, or it can be left out and still not interrupt the box's overall design.
- Published References
-
- Xi Mengcao. Haiwai guizhen teji: Zhongguo qiqi [Chinese Treasures Overseas, a special collection at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery]. no. 71, July 1991. pp. 76-81.
- Lee Yu-kuan. Oriental Lacquer Art., 1st ed. New York. p. 113.
- et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 170, pp. 260-261.
- Collection Area(s)
- Chinese Art
- Web Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- SI Usage Statement
-
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
-
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
To Download
Chrome users: right click on icon, select "save link as..."
Internet Explorer users: right click on icon, select "save target as..."
Mozilla Firefox users: right click on icon, select "save link as..."
International Image Interoperability Framework
FS-5998_15h