8th century
Circular box with straight sides, slightly domed cover, and decoration of green dots against a caramel-brown ground; white earthenware with copper-green and iron-brown lead-fluxed glazes on the exterior; underside of lid and base unglazed. Sancai ware. From northern China, Henan, Hebei, or Shaanxi province.
with cover: H. 3.4 x Diam. 9.3 cm (1 5/16 x 3 11/16 in.)
[Christie's, New York, 16 September 1999, sale number Kang-9210, lot. 290] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (1999-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.
Lacquer on wood with decoration in gold and silver utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design), nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground), and e-nashiji (pictorial "pear-skinned" ground) techniques; copper fittings
18th centuryJapaneseRosewood with metal (brass and copper?) fittings, the interior of the box lined with silk damask
18th centuryKoreanBronze, with damascened overlays of cut sheet silver, the bronze with induced gunmetal gray surface color
19th-20th centuryKoreanLacquer on wood with decoration in gold utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design), nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground), and harigaki (linear incising) techniques; lead-alloy fittings
16th centuryJapaneseLacquer on wood with Kōdaiji-style decoration in gold utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design) and e-nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground) techniques; gilt-copper fittings
17th centuryJapaneseLacquer on wood with decoration in gold utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design), takamaki-e (high-relief sprinkled design), nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground), and kanagai (sheet-gold appliqué) techniques; metal fittings and silk cord
18th centuryJapaneseLacquer on wood with decoration in gold and silver utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design), takamaki-e (high-relief sprinkled design), and nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground) techniques
18th centuryJapaneseLacquer on wood with decoration in gold, silver, and sabi urushi (thick lacquer paste) utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design), takamaki-e (high-relief sprinkled design), and nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground) techniques, with applied kirigane (cut gold and silver) and with shibuchi (copper-silver alloy), brass, silver, and coral inlays; stone, metal, and enamel fittings
18th centuryJapaneseCizhou ware: light gray stoneware with clear glaze over decoration painted in a dark brown slip on a white slip ground
12th-13th centuryChineseLacquer on wood with decoration in gold utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design), nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground), and e-nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground) techniques; metal interior fittings
17th centuryJapaneseLacquer on wood with decoration in gold and silver utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design) and takamaki-e (high-relief sprinkled design) techniques, applied kirigane (cut gold and silver), and [later] raden (mother-of-pearl) inlays; metal fittings
15th-16th centuryJapanese