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Double-Layered Box

2nd century BC

Not on view

This luxurious box formed part of the deceased’s personal effects, unearthed together with a large group of musical instruments and wood figurines of performers and waiters. A bronze mirror found in its lower layer indicates that it was a cosmetics box. The red and green clouds painted on its black-lacquered surface are outlined meticulously in white. Exceptionally, these patterns were applied using mineral pigments mixed with oil; among more than five hundred pieces of lacquer excavated at Mawangdui, only a few objects were painted in this way.

Double-Layered Box, Lacquer over wood, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

西汉双层漆奁

Title: Double-Layered Box

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Date: 2nd century BC

Culture: China

Medium: Lacquer over wood

Dimensions: H. 6 5/8 in. (16.9 cm); Diam. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)

Classification: Lacquer

Credit Line: Lent by Hunan Provincial Museum

Accession Number: SL.1.2017.3.8a, b

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Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.