Box
19th century
Medium
Lacquer
Dimensions
H. 1 in. (2.5 cm); W. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm); D. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm)
Classification
Lacquer
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.100.168a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold this delicate lacquer *Box* by Shibata Zeshin, a masterpiece of 19th-century Japanese craftsmanship housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art Department Measuring just 1 inch high and nearly 4 inches wide and deep, this petite container—likely used for sweets, incense, or small treasures—exemplifies the refined elegance of Edo-period luxury goods. Its surface, adorned with motifs of leaves (as suggested by its tags), captures nature's subtle beauty through Zeshin's virtuoso lacquer techniques. Shibata Zeshin (1807–1891), one of Japan's greatest lacquer artists, bridged tradi...
About the Artist
Shibata Zeshin · 1807–1891
Japanese, 1807–1891