Cleveland Museum of Art

Chest for Storing Garments

Date

1400s

Medium

lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl inlay

Culture

China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This precious lacquer box is decorated with bird and plant motifs and figures in mother-of-pearl inlay. The decoration depicts the leisurely pursuit of scholars in nature and a garden setting. Scholars play the board game weiqi , have philosophical conversations, pluck a qin (a zither-like instrument with strings), and read books. Lacquer chests of this type were used to store garments neatly folded along their straight seams. The mother-of-pearl inlay from shells is a technique that was typically practiced by craftsmen in Hangzhou and other parts of southeast China near the sea. Lacquer chests of this type were used to store garments.

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