19th century
"Sirih" is Indonesian for the acacia, or betel nut, from South Sumatra, the Lampung region. Contains an inner, removable tray. Three parts, the basket, the lid, and the inner tray. Made of woven ratan, the box is decorated with animal motifs. Horses wrap around the sides of the box. The lid contains a mythical horse-like figure with two wings and a large head.
24 x 18 x 10.5 cm (9 7/16 x 7 1/16 x 4 1/8 in.)
Lacquer 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, and with silver and raden (mother-of-pearl) inlays; metal fittings
18th centuryJapaneseBronze, with damascened overlays of cut sheet silver, the bronze with induced gunmetal gray surface color
19th-20th centuryKoreanQingbai ware: molded porcelain with pale sky-blue glaze
13th centuryChineseWhite stoneware with clear glaze
8th-9th centuryChineseBlue-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 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 Longqing nian zao" within a double circle on the base
16th centuryChineseCeramic
19th centuryEuropeanLacquer on wood with decoration in gold utilizing the hiramaki-e (low-relief sprinkled design), nashiji ("pear-skinned" ground), and kanagai (sheet gold and silver appliqué) techniques; metal fittings
15th-16th centuryJapanese
Iron 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 centuryJapaneseYue ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over incised decoration. From the Yue kilns at Shanglinhu, Zhejiang province.
10th centuryChineseYaozhou ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over carved decoration. From the Yaozhou kilns at Tongchuan, Shaanxi province.
11th-12th centuryChineseBlue-and-white ware: porcelain with decoration reserved in white against a cobalt blue ground, the central medallion on the cover with molded decoration under pale, sky-blue glaze
18th-19th centuryChinese