c. 1825-1875
Flat rectangular body with sliding lid. The top is decorated in vertical format with three panels containing birds and flowers. On the base, floral and foliate motifs are painted in gold on a black background.
1.5 × 2.8 × 14 cm (9/16 × 1 1/8 × 5 1/2 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.
Lacquered wood: wooden core with light brown lacquer (possibly over a leather substrate) and inlays of mother-of-pearl, sharkskin or ray skin, wire, twisted wire, and metal fillings
18th-19th centuryKoreanCeramic
19th centuryEuropeanSilver, gilt
19th centuryBritishBlue-and-white ware: porcelain with decoration painted in underglaze cobalt blue; with underglaze cobalt blue mark reading "Da Qing Yongzheng nian zhi" on the base
19th centuryChineseWood
19th-20th centuryThaiCarved ivory
19th centuryChineseBlue-and-white ware: porcelain with decoration painted in underglaze cobalt blue
19th-20th centuryChineseLacquer on wood
19th centuryThaiPaper over board, cardboard
19th centuryGermanSilver
19th centuryFrenchIron or bronze with decoration applied in gold; with small cartouche on the cover reading "Kingakuji" and a maker's mark in gold on the base; the interior of box and cover lined with sheet gold, the linings cursorily engraved with landscapes
19th-20th centuryJapanesePorcelain with enamels and gold
19th centuryGerman