富士飛雁蒔絵硯箱|Box for Inkstone and Writing Implements (Suzuribako) with Geese against Mount Fuji in Moonlight and (inner lid) with Plovers by the Seashore
Unknown Artist
early to mid-19th century
Medium
Black lacquer ground with gold and silver maki-e
Dimensions
H. 9 9/16 in. (24.3 cm); W. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm); D. 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm)
Classification
Lacquer
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Stephen Whitney Phoenix, 1881
Accession Number
81.1.153a–f
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Suzuribako*—a lacquered box for inkstones and writing implements—hails from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), a time of relative peace and cultural flourishing when lacquerware became a pinnacle of artisanal luxury. Crafted in the early to mid-th century by an unknown master, its compact form (H. 9 9/16 in.; W. 8 5/8 in.; D. 1 13/16 in.) was designed for portability, essential for traveling scholars, poets, and who prized calligraphy as both art and virtue. The box's black lacquer ground shimmers with intricate gold and silver *maki-e* designs, a revered technique where powdered...