Nashiji Lacquer Box

5 1/2 in. x 4 3/4 in. x 4 in. (13.97 cm x 12.07 cm x 10.16 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• Asian - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Asia, which is in the eastern hemisphere, and is bounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and is generally considered to be delimited on the west by the Ural Mountains. It also refers to the numerous islands off the coast of Asia.
• boxes - Rigid, often rectangular containers usually with a lid or cover in which something nonliquid is kept or carried.
• Japanese - Nationality, periods, cultures, and styles found in Japan, either in historical times or in the present.
• lacquerware - Visual works made of or decorated with lacquer, which is paint or varnish that dries with a high gloss. Works are usually made of thin wood, then coated and decorated with lacquer applied in several coats. This dries to a very hard and smooth surface layer which is durable, waterproof, and attractive to feel and look at. Works of lacquer may be painted with pictures, inlaid with shell and other materials, carved, or dusted with gold and given other further decorative treatments.
• nashiji - Type of Japanese lacquerware decoration, literally "pear skin", that may have originated in the Heian period (794-1185). This term refers to two different styles widely-used during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). In one, a fine metallic powder is applied to a lacquered surface and a transparent lacquer is applied on top. In the other, gold or silver flakes are scattered across a lacquered surface and then lacquer of the orange, "nashiji urushi" type is applied. This technique was often used to cover large, less important areas of lacquerware such as the bottoms of boxes.

This object is a member of the following portfolios: