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

Cleveland Museum of Art

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

Date
1400s
Medium
Lacquered wood with gold and silver sprinkled powder (maki-e), stone, and metal
Culture
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Department
Japanese Art
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art

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

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