Lacquer Box and Gourd
Medium
Album leaf; lacquer on gold paper
Dimensions
4 3/4 x 3 1/2 in. (12.1 x 8.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.100.114
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate "Lacquer Box andourd," an album leaf by Shibata Zin, a virtuoso of late Edo-period Japan (1615–1868). This intimate work, measuring just 4 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches, captures everyday objects—a glossy lacquer box and a humble gourd—rendered with astonishing realism on gold paper. Zeshin, active in the 19th century, bridged traditional lacquerware craftsmanship and painting, elevating utilitarian motifs into high art during a time when Japan's urban culture flourished under the Tokugawa shogunate. What sets this piece apart is its medium: lacquer applied to gold paper, classified ...
About the Artist
Shibata Zeshin · 1807–1891
Japanese, 1807–1891