Box with narcissus
Not on view
This elegant box features beautifully carved narcissi with blooming flowers and swaying leaves. The complex layering of forms matches the style of Chinese lacquers and jades dating to the early Ming period. An almost identical box, now in the Nezu Museum, Tokyo, however, bears an inscription by the Japanese lacquer artist Yōzei stating he was imitating the work of the Chinese fourteenth-century master Zhang Cheng. Whether this piece proves to be a Chinese original or an unsigned Japanese copy, the extraordinary carving distinguishes the box as an excellent example of cultural exchange between China and Japan during the fifteenth century.
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