The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo

1400s
(1392–1573)
lacquer on wood with decoration in maki-e
Overall: 24.2 x 22.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 7/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1969.124
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

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

Description

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.
  • (Setsu Gatodo)
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 378 archive.org
  • Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
  • {{cite web|title=Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo|url=false|author=|year=1400s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.124