Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlayexpand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fundexpand_more 89.108
The technique of inlaying lacquer with mother-of-pearl dates from the Shang dynasty (1200s-900s BCE) and later hundreds of tiny pieces of thin shell were combined to create complicated pictorial scenes like the landscape illustrated here. The technique remained popular through the 1700s and was adopted outside of China by craftsmen on the Ryuku Islands (Okinawa) where native shells were particularly beautiful.
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know