c. 1872-1873
Cover and sliding compartment with rounded ends. The top is decorated in horizontal format. The top and sides are similarly composed with elaborate borders framing cartouches of various shapes and sizes that contain vignettes of birds and flowers. On the base, a gold arabesque is painted on a red background.
4.1 × 4.3 × 24.6 cm (1 5/8 × 1 11/16 × 9 11/16 in.)
Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2014. Note: Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.
Carved cherry wood
19th centuryJapaneseOpaque watercolor, gold-colored pigments, and lacquer over brass layer on pasteboard; with ink holder
19th centuryOpaque watercolor, gold-colored pigments, platy hematite particles, and lacquer on pasteboard
19th centuryInk on carved wood
19th centuryChineseChūban (medium-sized) minogami (mulberry bark paper) treated with persimmon juice and cut using the "hikibori" (pull-carving) and "tsukibori" (thrust-carving) techniques, with "ito-ire" (silk-web) reinforcement
19th-20th centuryJapaneseInk on carved wood
19th centuryChineseCarved wood
19th centuryJapaneseOpaque and semi-opaque watercolor on prepared pasteboard under non-original varnish
19th centuryInk on carved wood
19th centuryChineseChūban (medium-sized) minogami (mulberry bark paper) treated with persimmon juice and cut using the "kiribori" (drill-carving), "dōgubori" (punch-carving), and "tsukibori" (thrust-carving) techniques
19th-20th centuryJapaneseKakuban (square-shaped) minogami (mulberry bark paper) treated with persimmon juice and cut using the "tsukibori" (thrust-carving) technique
19th-20th centuryJapaneseBlack lithographic crayon on stone
19th centuryFrench