late Momoyama or early Edo period, late 16th to early 17th century
5.8 x 22 x 27.3 cm (2 5/16 x 8 11/16 x 10 3/4 in.)
Silver with parcel gilding; with inscription incised on base and cover
5th-3rd century BCEChineseMonochrome lead-glazed ware: molded white earthenware with lead-fluxed emerald-green glaze on the exterior and lead-fluxed clear glaze mottled with green on the interior. Probably from kilns at Luoyang or Gongxian, Henan province.
9th-10th centuryChineseLacquer on wood with decoration in gold and sabi urushi (thick lacquer paste) utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design) and takamaki-e (high-relief sprinkled design) techniques and with textured sheet-lead and raden (mother-of-pearl) inlays
17th-18th centuryJapaneseBrass
19th centuryPersianBronze, with damascened overlays of cut sheet silver, the bronze with induced gunmetal gray surface color
19th-20th centuryKoreanLacquer on wood with decoration in gold and sabi urushi (thick lacquer paste) utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design) and takamaki-e (high-relief sprinkled design) techniques, with applied kirigane (cut gold and silver) and with glazed-ceramic, ivory, mother-of-pearl, coral, and malachite inlays; stone and metal fittings
18th centuryJapaneseMaki-e designs in gold and silver on nashi-ji lacquer ground
JapaneseInlaid celadon ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over incised decoration and over decoration inlaid in black and white slips
12th centuryKoreanLacquer on wood with decoration in gold
JapanesePale greenish white nephrite
18th-19th centuryChineseEnameled blue-and-white ware, "wucai" type: porcelain with decoration painted in underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze polychrome enamels; with underglaze cobalt blue mark reading "Da Ming Wanli nian zhi" within a double-square set within a "ruyi" cloud-scroll border on the base
16th-17th centuryChineseCast iron with localized areas of gilding; the interior of the box and cover lined with hammered silver purportedly designed by Miochin (1624-1642)
17th centuryJapanese