The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 7, 2024

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Design of Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo (lid)

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Design of Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo (lid)

1400s
(1392–1573)
lacquer on wood with decoration in maki-e
Overall: 24.2 x 22.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 7/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1969.124.b
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The metal water dropper inside the box above the ink stone also has pine and camellia motifs.

Description

Writing boxes were indispensible personal possessions for the literate of medieval Japan. Beyond containing the tools for artistic expression and communication such as an ink stone, writing brushes, and a water dropper, writing boxes often featured scenes from classical literature or symbolic motifs rendered in a wide array of complex lacquer techniques.
  • (Setsu Gatodo)
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 378 archive.org
  • Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 120); March 11, 2003 - July 13, 2004.
    Cleveland Museum of Art, 1970: Year in Review 1969.
  • {{cite web|title=Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Design of Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo (lid)|url=false|author=|year=1400s|access-date=07 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.124.b