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明 永樂 紅漆戧金雲龍紋經匣
Sutra Box with Dragons amid Clouds

Period:
Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24)
Culture:
China
Medium:
Red lacquer with incised decoration inlaid with gold; damascened brass lock and key
Dimensions:
H. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm); L. 16 in. (40.6 cm)
Classification:
Lacquer
Credit Line:
Purchase, Sir Joseph Hotung and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gifts, 2001
Accession Number:
2001.584a–c
Not on view
Vigorous, sinewy dragons are frequently depicted on works produced during the reign of the Yongle emperor. Intended to hold a Buddhist text made in the Chinese handscroll format, elegant boxes like this one were produced for both use at the court and as diplomatic gifts, particularly to Tibet.
#7328. Sutra Box with Dragon
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For Audio Guide tours and information, visit metmuseum.org/audioguide.
[ C. T. Loo & Co. , Paris, 1978] ; [ A & J Speelman Ltd. , London, 1998–2001; sold to MMA]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Defining Yongle, Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China," April 1, 2005–July 10, 2005.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer," July 18, 2005–November 14, 2005.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer: An Introduction," December 4, 2007–May 11, 2008.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Cinnabar: The Chinese Art of Carved Lacquer," August 6, 2009–February 21, 2010.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Red and Black: Chinese Lacquer, 13th–16th Century," September 7, 2011–June 10, 2012.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Introduction to Chinese Lacquer," December 11, 2013–July 6, 2014.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Sumptuous: East Asian Lacquer, 14th–20th Century," October 25, 2014–August 9, 2015.

Essays
Lacquerware of East Asia
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

Timelines
China, 1400–1600 A.D.

Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 73, no. 1 (Summer, 2015)

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