This box’s lively design features two dragons chasing a flaming jewel. The beasts’ long, sinewy bodies wrap around the sides of the box; their heads face each other at opposite corners at the top. The masterful mixture of diverse materials—mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and ray skin—highlights different textures, emphasizing not only the tactile quality of the mythical beasts but also their dynamic character.
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Artwork Details
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나전 대모 어피 용 무늬 옷상자 조선 螺鈿玳瑁魚皮龍文衣箱子 朝鮮
Title:Clothing box decorated with dragons
Period:Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
Date:19th century
Culture:Korea
Medium:Lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and ray skin
Dimensions:H. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm); W. 17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm); L. 28 3/4 in. (73 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number:2015.500.3.7a, b
[ Klaus F. Naumann , Tokyo, until 1990; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1990–2015; 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. Japan Society Gallery. "Crosscurrents: Masterpieces of East Asian Art from New York Private Collections," March 22, 1999–July 11, 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. "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. "Arts of Korea," June 10–October 24, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Korea," July 7–November 15, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," May 19–November 7, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Representation/Abstraction in Korean Art," November 23, 2010–March 20, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Patchwork Textiles Across Cultures," August 24–December 5, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Korea: Buddhism and Buddhist Art," December 9, 2011–June 3, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Flora and Fauna in Korean Art," June 15, 2013–June 1, 2014.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Still Life in Korean Art," June 7, 2014–February 1, 2015.
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. "Expressions of Nature in Korean Art," April 2–September 18, 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.
Lee, Soyoung. "Dragons in Pursuit: A Notable Late Joseon Lacquer from The Metropolitan Museum." Arts of Asia 45, no. 6, (November–December 2015). pp. 110–15, figs. 1, 2.
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. 324–325, cat. no. 158.
Hearn, Maxwell K. "Introduction: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 45, no. 6 (November–December 2015). pp. 67–75, fig. 13.
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