Writing Box (Suzuribako)

Artist: Unknown

17th–18th century

Asian Art

Not on view

The image of a waterwheel amid a river gushing under a bridge alludes to the Uji River, which runs through Uji City south of Kyoto and is a literary trope in classical waka poetry. The use of an asymmetrical scene was a departure in lacquer design during the early Edo period, inspired in part by painting styles that developed during the preceding Momoyama period. The writing box contains an inkstone (suzuri), on which an ink stick (sumi) is rubbed with water to produce ink in a variety of tonal gradations. The quantity of ink held in the brush can be adjusted against the slope and edge of the stone.

Medium

Black lacquer on wood with sprinkled gold dust and inlaid mother-of-pearl (maki-e), with an inkstone and a metal water dropper

Dimensions

1 5/16 × 7 5/8 × 8 7/16 in. (3.3 × 19.4 × 21.4 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of the Yale University Art Gallery Governing Board in honor of Louisa Cunningham

Accession Number

2010.204.1

Geography

Japan

Culture

Japanese

Period

Edo period (1615–1868)

Classification

Containers

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Purchased from Klaus Naumann, Tokyo, 1981.
Bibliography
  • Denise Patry Leidy, Mother-of-Pearl: A Tradition in Asian Lacquer (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006), fig. 39
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Inscriptions

Old kiri box lid obverse insribed "_ _ maru _ \ Zôgan kama tsuri." Old kiri box lid obverse insribed "_ _ maru _ \ Zôgan kama tsuri." \r\n硯箱　琳派風黒漆阿古屋貝入り蒔絵　江戸時代

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