Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns

Japan

Not on view

Often referred to as medicine chests, boxes such as this one, with a front cover and interior drawers, were also designed for traveling. The dramatic rendering of stylized tortoiseshells on the exterior is matched by the three wonderful cranes found on the front of the drawers. In both China and Japan, these motifs are often associated with a mythical mountain inhabited by immortals.

Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan

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Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan
Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan
Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan
Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan
Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan
Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan
Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan
Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns, Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer; gilt-bronze handle, lock, and hinges, Japan

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