Two-tiered box with pine and bamboo decor
Written by Wang Shih-fu, Yuan Dynasty
Ching Dynasty

Japanese Lacquerware from the Ching Imperial Collection
Gallery 312
Opening 2002/02/08

Although China and Japan did not maintain official diplomatic relations during the 16th through 18th centuries, trade relations between the two countries fostered a period of dynamic cultural exchange that is, in part, witnessed by the diversity and quality of the Ching imperial collection of Japanese lacquerware.

The majority of the collection is comprised of storage boxes gathered during the 18th century.  After their entry into the Ching court, some of these boxes, for example the two-tiered box with pine and bamboo decor, were furnished with additional interior trays, which enabled them to be used as curio cases for holding numerous small jades, seals, or other precious objects.   Many of the boxes, such as the small box with autumnal grasses decor, provide valuable insight into the imperial world.  Containing an embroidered pouch handmade by the Empress, the box serves as a remembrance for the Chien-lung Emperor.  Arranged by the Emperor in the 19th year of his reign, six years after the Empress’s death, this box served to safeguard not only tangible objects, but memories as well.

The styles represented by these exquisite pieces are quite varied.  Moreover, the decorative techniques employed in adorning even one piece can be fairly diverse.  For example, the three-tiered box with pine and bamboo decor requires both the use of makie, the sprinkling of fine gold powder, and a technique to mold the surface into a low relief.  The result is a fine piece no less impressive than the work produced in the celebrated Japanese shogunate studios.