Scholarly men collected and used stationery boxes like this to hold paper and writing implements. A rare example of early Joseon lacquer, the box’s ornate design of peony blossoms and acanthus-like leaves illustrates the expansion of sophisticated Goryeo-dynasty techniques and traditions. Peony blossoms of similar form can be found on inlaid buncheong ware; the stylized acanthus-like leaves are distinctive to this example and to the few other extant boxes of its type, which are nearly identical.
#8507. Stationery Box with Decoration of Peony Scrolls
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Artwork Details
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나전 칠 모란 넝쿨 무늬 서류함 조선 螺鈿漆牡丹唐草文書類函 朝鮮
Title:Stationery box decorated with peony scrolls
Period:Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
Date:15th–16th century
Culture:Korea
Medium:Lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl; brass fittings
Dimensions:H. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm); W. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm); L. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Accession Number:2015.500.3.1a, b
[ Klaus F. Naumann , Tokyo, until 1988; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1988–2015; 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. "The Arts of Korea," June 7, 1998–January 24, 1999.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," January 14, 2005–October 29, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Birds and Flowers," November 1, 2006–April 29, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Mother-of-Pearl: A Tradition in Asian Lacquer," December 2, 2006–April 1, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Buddhist Paintings from the Koryō Dynasty (918–1392)," May 8–October 22, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Maebyông," October 30, 2007–March 3, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400–1600," March 17–June 21, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," May 19–November 7, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the Met," February 7, 2015–March 27, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Splendors of Korean Art," October 1, 2016–October 22, 2017.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Essential Korea," June 7, 2018–November 14, 2021.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shell and Resin: Korean Mother-of-Pearl and Lacquer," December 13, 2021–July 5, 2022.
Arakawa Hirokazu 荒川浩和. Raden 螺鈿 (Mother-of-pearl) Kyoto: Dōhōsha, 1985, p. 49, cat. no. 25.
Kawada Sadamu 河田貞, and Takahashi Takahiro 高橋隆博. Kōrai Richō no raden 高麗李朝の螺鈿 (Mother-of-pearl from Koryo period and Yi dynasty of Korea) Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1986, p. 147, cat. no. 167.
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, pp. 316–317, 319, cat. no. 154.
Leidy, Denise Patry. Mother-of Pearl: A Tradition in Asian Lacquer. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006, pp. 32, 60, cat. no. 16, fig. 25.
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