Writing box with Nanban figures

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Writing box with Nanban figures

Japan

Date
1633
Medium
Black lacquer with gold and silver maki-e, polychrome lacquer, and gold and silver foil inlay
Department
Asian Art
Institution
Minneapolis Institute of Art

Fallen cherry blossoms, rendered in gold and silver, adorn the outside surface of the lid of this black lacquered writing box. A writing box contains the tools necessary for the brush arts of calligraphy and ink painting, including an inkstone and water dropper. The underside of the lid and the interior of the box feature a group of Portuguese men, with their distinctive pantaloons and hats. The dark-skinned individuals may be African or Indian. The figural group appears on a black lacquer and silver foil checkered background inspired by European designs. After nearly four hundred years of use and display, some of the inlaid silver squares have fallen off. Japan, Asia

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