The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 24, 2025
Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Phoenix in Paulownia (base)
c. 1573–99
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-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2016-present
- "New in the Galleries.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 57, no. 1 (January/February 2017): Back cover. Reproduced and Mentioned: Back cover archive.orgVilbar, Sinéad. “Acquisition Highlights 2016: Japanese Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 57, no. 2 (March/April 2017): 18–19. Reproduced: pp. 5, 19; Mentioned: p. 19
- 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 (base)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1573–99|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.34.b