Nanban Cabinet with Drawers

early 17th century

Not on view

In the second half of the sixteenth century, Japanese lacquer made for Western markets was known as Nanban (Southern Barbarian) lacquer, a reference to the epithet given to foreigners from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Many of these export lacquers were made in Kyoto. Six-drawer cabinets of this type, listed in European collections as secrétaires or comptoiren, would generally have had a fall-front door. One of the earliest examples of an export cabinet without a fall front was inventoried at Schloss Ambras in Austria, around 1607. The drawer fronts of this sumptuous, small, and richly embellished cabinet are densely decorated with autumn flowers and shells, while geometric patterns, floral designs, and repeated intersecting-circle motifs (shippo) embellish the dividers. The top and sides display complex compositions inspired by Japanese literary classics. The unusual size and iconography of the cabinet indicate that it could have been a special order.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

草花人物蒔絵螺鈿書箪笥
Title: Nanban Cabinet with Drawers
Period: Late Momoyama (1573–1615)–early Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: early 17th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Lacquered wood with gold and silver hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, gold foil application, and mother-of-pearl inlays on black ground; gilt-bronze fittings
Dimensions: H. 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm); W. 12 11/16 in. (32.2.cm); D. 9 3/16 in. (23.3 cm)
Classification: Lacquer
Credit Line: Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number: 2015.500.2.45a–h
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Sake Ewer (Hisage) with Chrysanthemums and Paulownia Crests in Alternating Fields, Lacquered wood with gold hiramaki-e and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”) on black ground, Japan — Sake Ewer (Hisage) with Chrysanthemums and Paulownia Crests in Alternating Fields
Japan
early 17th century

The Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals, Studio of Kano Takanobu Japanese, Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and silver on paper, Japan — The Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals
Studio of Kano Takanobu
Konoe Nobutada
early 17th century

Shelf for Cosmetic Boxes (Kurodana) with Wild Grapevine and Family Crest, Lacquered wood with gold, silver hiramaki-e, Japan — Shelf for Cosmetic Boxes (Kurodana) with Wild Grapevine and Family Crest
Japan
first half 17th century

Sutra Box (Kyōbako) with Lotus Pond, Lacquered wood with gold togidashimaki-e, hiramaki-e, and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”), Japan — Sutra Box (Kyōbako) with Lotus Pond
Japan
early 17th century

Stand with Autumn Grasses and Flowers, Lacquered wood with gold hiramaki-e and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”), Japan — Stand with Autumn Grasses and Flowers
Japan
first half of the 17th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.