Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo

松椿竹蒔絵硯箱

1400s
Overall: 24.2 x 22.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 7/8 in.)
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Location: not on view

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Did You Know?

The metal water dropper inside the box above the ink stone also has pine and camellia motifs.

Description

Writing boxes were indispensible personal possessions for the literate of medieval Japan. Beyond containing the tools for artistic expression and communication such as an ink stone, writing brushes, and a water dropper, writing boxes often featured scenes from classical literature or symbolic motifs rendered in a wide array of complex lacquer techniques.
Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo

1400s

Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)

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