Box
19th century
Medium
Lacquer
Dimensions
H. 3/8 in. (1 cm); W. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm); L. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm)
Classification
Lacquer
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.100.175
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite *Box* by Shibata Zeshin, a masterful 19th-century creation from Japan, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of's Asian Art department as part of The Howard Mansfield Collection (Purchase, Rogers Fund,1936). This diminutive lacquer treasure measures a mere 3/8 inch (1 cm) in height, 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) wide, and 7 1/8 inches (18.1 cm) long—perfectly sized for portability, evoking the refined elegance of everyday Edo-period artistry. Shibata Zeshin (1807–1891), one of Japan's most celebrated lacquer artists, elevated the medium of urushi lacquer—a sap from the lacquer tr...
About the Artist
Shibata Zeshin · 1807–1891
Japanese, 1807–1891