Red and black are two main colors of Chinese lacquer wares. Although the overall surface of this object appears to feature only red, its elegant pattern was carved out of layers of red and black lacquer to enhance the decorative effect.
Artwork Details
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元 朱面剔犀劍環紋漆盒
Title:Box with pommel scroll
Period:Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:late 13th–14th century
Culture:China
Medium:Carved red and black lacquer
Dimensions:H.1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm); Diam. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number:29.100.713
Mrs. H. O. (Louisine W.) Havemeyer , New York (until d. 1929; bequeathed to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Irving Lacquers," 1998–2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer," July 18–November 14, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer: Painted and Carved," 2007.
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. "The World of Khubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty," September 28, 2010–January 2, 2011.
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. "Sumptuous: East Asian Lacquer, 14th–20th Century," October 25, 2014–August 9, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300–1900," July 2, 2022–February 16, 2025.
Attributed to Zhang Cheng (active mid-14th century)
mid-14th century
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