Round box with dragon and flower

Object Details

• Description

  Decorations carved in relief and countersunk decoration carved in black and tan intaglio. The box bears a mark on the base.

• Marks

  The box bears a mark on the base dating it to the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty.

• Inscriptions

  Incised inscription on the base reads "Ta Ming Wan-li nien chih."

• Provenance

  From at least 1950 to 1953

  F. Low-Beer & Co., New York, N.Y., from at least March 1950 [1]

  From 1953

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976) on March 23, 1953 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See the document confirming the examination of the object and acquisition approval by the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, the Commission of Fine Arts, and Katherine Rhoades in March 1950, copy in object file.

  The box was published and illustrated by Low-Beer in 1952, see Fritz Low-Beer, “Chinese Lacquer of the Middle and Late Ming period,” Bulletin of Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities 24 (1952), p. 34, pl. 21.

  [2] See Fritz Low-Beer & Co.’s invoice, dated to March 23, 1953, where the object is listed as “Circular box and cover, carved red lacquer. Decoration of 2 five-clawed dragons, waves, flames, clouds, rocks and floral scraps. Wanli mark and period,” copy in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Japanese and Chinese Lacquer (September 22, 1982 to June 30, 1983)

  Chinese and Japanese Art--Lacquer and Paintings (August 18, 1967 to October 14, 1969)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Container

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1590s

• Name

  Low-Beer, Fritz

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Wave, Art, Inscriptions, Chinese Art, Wanli reign (1573 - 1620), Cloud, Lacquer, Flowers, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Containers