The English name for this sweet tropical fruit is derived from the Chinese lizhi. Lychees are understood to represent fertility and are also symbolic of love and romance. Small boxes of this type, used to hold incense, were also produced in metal and porcelain
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Artwork Details
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明中期 雕漆剔紅荔枝紋漆盒
Title:Box with lychees
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:16th century
Culture:China
Medium:Carved red and black lacquer
Dimensions:H. 1 1/2 in. (3.7 cm); Diam. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number:2015.500.1.46a, b
[ Spink & Son Ltd. , London, until 1986; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1986–2015; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "East Asian Lacquer from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," November 22, 1991–February 23, 1992.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Irving Lacquers," 1998–2000.
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. "Extravagant Display: Chinese Art in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries," December 14, 2010–May 1, 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. "Cinnabar: The Chinese Art of Carved Lacquer, 14th to 19th Century," June 15, 2016–October 9, 2017.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Streams and Mountains without End: Landscape Traditions of China," August 26, 2017–January 6, 2019.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masters and Masterpieces: Chinese Art from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," January 30, 2021–June 5, 2022.
Watt, James C. Y., and Barbara Brennan Ford. East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1991, p. 105, cat. no. 40.
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