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Box with lid “Black and Red”

Gan Erke Chinese
2013
Not on view
The simple but exquisite box embodies the concept of “hidden beauty.” Its unornamented black exterior conceals a distinctive interior embellished with multicolored xipi lacquer. The box may be seen as a metaphor for the Chinese ideal of seeking inner perfection.

Gan’s works reflects an aesthetic attitude shared among a group of contemporary Chinese artists working in different materials. They aim to sustain or revive the highest levels of traditional craftsmanship, by producing distinctive utilitarian objects of great subtlety and beauty.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Box with lid “Black and Red”
  • Artist: Gan Erke (Chinese, born 1955)
  • Date: 2013
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Marbled lacquer (xipi) with gold foils
  • Dimensions: H. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); Diam. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
  • Classification: Lacquer
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2021
  • Object Number: 2021.5a, b
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Gan Erke
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Bowl “Deer-Antler Sand”, Gan Erke Chinese, Marbled lacquer (xipi) with gold foils, gold rim, China
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2011
Bowl “Red Gold”, Gan Erke Chinese, Marbled lacquer (xipi) with gold foils, gold rim, China
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Vase “Tang Flow”, Gan Erke Chinese, Marbled lacquer (xipi) with gold foils, China
Vase “Tang Flow”
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