Writing box with bridge and waves, 18th century
Unknown Japaneseexpand_more
Black lacquer with sprinkled gold, metal and shell inlayexpand_more
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundationexpand_more 2015.79.395a-e
Not on Viewexpand_more
This lidded box is a suzuribako, a box designed to hold an assortment of writing tools, including an inkstone, water dropper, ink sticks, an ink-stick holder, and brushes. The lid features a design of an arched bridge rendered in inlaid metals and mother-of-pearl over rough waves, made by applying powdered gold. These motifs may refer to the famous bridge over the Uji River in the town of Uji, a site celebrated in poetry since the 700s and used by Murasaki Shikibu as a setting for parts of her Tale of Genji. The inside of this box features an unrelated design of geese on a beach. The original inkstone and water dropper remain intact.
Details
- Title
- Writing box with bridge and waves
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.79.395a-e
- Provenance
- Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation Gallery Hosomi Kokōan
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 761
- Curator Approved
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.
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