Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ceremonial offering stand, one of a pair

Nagata Yūji

Date

18th century

Medium

Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay and sprinkled gold and silver designs

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Since ancient times, the Japanese have paid homage to Buddhist deities by making offerings of food on high-footed lacquer stands placed before painted or sculptural images. This pair of ceremonial stands was created in the early eighteenth century by the renowned lacquer artist Nagata Yu_ji, who adorned the background of lightly sprinkled gold with a stylized pattern of chrysanthemums, rendered in gold, mother-of-pearl, and silver. Because chrysanthemums are autumnal flowers, these stands might also have been used by an aristocratic woman to serve sweet round rice dumplings, reminiscent of the full, harvest moon. Asia

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