花熨斗蒔絵短冊箱|Poem Card (Tanzaku) Box with Flower Bouquet
19th century
Medium
Lacquered wood with gold, silver, color, takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, and togidashimaki-e
Dimensions
H. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm); W. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm); L. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
Classification
Lacquer
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1869–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.100.172a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Shibata Zeshin (1807–1891), one of Japan's greatest lacquer artists, created this exquisite *Poem Card (Tanzaku) Box with Flowerquet* during the Meiji period (18681912). This slender wooden box, measuring just 14½ inches long, was designed to hold tanzaku—narrow strips of paper inscribed with waka poems, often used in festivals, New Year's decorations, or poetic gatherings. Adorned with a vibrant bouquet of flowers, it exemplifies Zeshin's mastery in blending naturalistic motifs with technical brilliance, reflecting Japan's enduring love for floral symbolism representing beauty, transience, an...
About the Artist
Shibata Zeshin · 1807–1891
Japanese, 1807–1891