Portable Nanban Box
Not on view
In the second half of the sixteenth century, Japanese lacquer made for Western markets was known as nanban (Southern Barbarian), a reference to the epithet given to foreigners from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Many of these export lacquers were made in Kyoto. The maki-e (“sprinkled picture”) and rich mother-of-pearl decoration on this box consists of continuous interlinked circles (shippō) with stylized flowers in the intersections and five flower roundels on the lid.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
