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Box with design of dragons

Dateca. 1522–66

MediumCarved cinnabar lacquer on wood

DimensionsHeight: 8 inches (20.3 cm)

CultureChina

PeriodMing dynasty (1368–1644)

ClassificationsMetalwork

Credit LineGeorge and Mary Rockwell Collection

Terms

Decorative Arts
Lacquerware
Vessels - Boxes
Chinese
Brass
Carving
Lacquer
Wood
Animals
Bodies of water
Boxes (containers)
Clouds
Dragons
Floral patterns
Flowers
Mythological creatures
Plant-derived motifs
Rock
Waves

Object number68.249

Label CopyAs a protective coating over wood, leather, or bamboo, lacquer was used extensively in China by the early Han Dynasty, but it was not until the Ming Dynasty that the decorative possibilities inherent in the carving of lacquer were exploited. In this particular technique multiple layers of lacquer colored with cinnabar are built up slowly over an initial coating of black lacquer before being carved so that the design shows in sharp relief against the darker background. This striking example of carved lacquer demonstrates the technique at its best: the design is quite dense and active, rich and varied in its total effect. The reign mark of the Emperor Jiajing on the bottom of the box and the appearance of the five-clawed dragon on the sides and top of the box indicate that at one time this was an imperial piece. The lid is neatly hinged, and fittings are of polished and tooled brass, details one would expect of products from the imperial workshops of the middle Ming period. (From “A Handbook of the Collection: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art," 1998)

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