Box with Scenes of a Departure
Images of gentlemen traveling in the evening are common in Chinese pictorial lacquers, and it is possible that pearl shell was understood to be an appropriate medium for the depiction of a moonlit landscape. The vase and other vessels in the pavilion at left illustrate shapes found earlier in ceramics and metalwork and reflect the fascination with elegant living often found in the arts of the late Ming period.
Artwork Details
- 明晚期 黑漆嵌螺鈿人物圖捧盒
- Title: Box with Scenes of a Departure
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: late 16th–early 17th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay; pewter wire
- Dimensions: H. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm); Diam. 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm)
- Classification: Lacquer
- Credit Line: Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.500.1.59a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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