Incense Box (Kōgō) with Camellias

13th century

Not on view

Small boxes of this type, which are preserved in Japan in some number, are often identified as incense boxes, for they were used as such during the tea ceremony. It seems likely that boxes of this type were also used in China to hold incense or other powdered substances such as cosmetics. The camellia spray on the cover is set against a plain background, a characteristic of early carved lacquers that would reemerge in the sixteenth century.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Incense Box (Kōgō) with Camellias
Period: Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
Date: 13th century
Culture: China
Medium: Carved red lacquer
Dimensions: H. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm), Diam. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification: Lacquer
Credit Line: Purchase, Barbara and Sorrell Mathes Gift, 2005
Object Number: 2005.140a, b
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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