Vigorous, sinewy dragons are frequently depicted on works produced during the reign of the Yongle emperor. This luxurious box, made to hold a sutra in the Chinese album format, was created for use at court.
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Artwork Details
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明永樂 紅漆戧金雲龍紋經箱
Title:Sutra box with dragons amid clouds
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24)
Culture:China
Medium:Red lacquer with incised decoration inlaid with gold; damascened brass lock and key
Dimensions:H. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm); L. 16 in. (40.6 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Purchase, Sir Joseph Hotung and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gifts, 2001
Accession Number:2001.584a–c
[ C. T. Loo & Co. , Paris, 1978]; [ A & J Speelman Ltd. , London, 1998–2001; sold to MMA]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Defining Yongle, Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China," April 1–July 10, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer," July 18–November 14, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Lacquer: An Introduction," December 4, 2007–May 11, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Cinnabar: The Chinese Art of Carved Lacquer," August 6, 2009–February 21, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Red and Black: Chinese Lacquer, 13th–16th Century," September 7, 2011–June 10, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Introduction to Chinese Lacquer," December 11, 2013–July 6, 2014.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Sumptuous: East Asian Lacquer, 14th–20th Century," October 25, 2014–August 9, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Spirited Creatures: Animal Representations in Chinese Silk and Lacquer," October 21, 2017–July 22, 2018.
Watt, James C. Y., and Denise Patry Leidy. Defining Yongle: Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005, p. 55, pl. 21.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012, p. 98.
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