The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Phoenix in Paulownia
late 1500s
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
In contrast to the bright, celebratory motifs on the exterior, the interior of the box invites a more reflective mood with its autumn moonlit sky over chrysanthemums.Description
The only place the mythical phoenix will perch is in the paulownia tree. Along with the dragon, the bird is a symbol of imperial power in East Asia. This box––a container for an inkstone, brushes, and ink––is both functional and lavish, its dramatic effects achieved with a pear-skin ground decoration (nashiji) and sprinkled powder decoration in high relief (takamaki-e).- ?–2016(Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)2016–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- "New in the Galleries.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 57, no. 1 (January/February 2017): Back cover. Reproduced and Mentioned: Back cover.Vilbar, Sinéad. “Acquisition Highlights 2016: Japanese Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 57, no. 2 (March/April 2017): 18-19. Reproduced: P. 5, 19; Mentioned: P. 19.
- Animals in Japanese Art (Japanese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-December 10, 2023).Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - January-July 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art (January 9-July 10, 2017).
- {{cite web|title=Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Phoenix in Paulownia|url=false|author=|year=late 1500s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.34