Treasure Box of Eternal Spring and Longevity

Object Details

• Description

  From the uppermost surface downward, strata of cinnabar, green, and buff lacquer cover the surface of the round box with low sides. The shoulders slope gently and the "mouth" of the box is slightly constricted. This shape is sometimes called "steamed cake box" (zhengbing he) in reference to a food item that this shape resembles. The lacquer surface is nearly a quarter of an inch thick. Perhaps the highest relief motifs were separately made and attached to the surface, while the lower relief motifs are carved in the lacquer surface). The artisan varied the depth of the incisions in order to expose and utilize the different colors in making the design. The contrasts in color and height of the carving create a vibrant, three-dimensional design.

• Previous custodian or owner

  Takashi Yanagi

  Donald J. Wineman

• Provenance

  From 1980 to 1988

  Takashi Yanagi, Kyoto, Japan, purchased at a 1980 auction at the Tokyo Art Club [1]

  From 1988 to 1990

  Donald J. Wineman, New York, purchased from Takashi Yanagi in 1988 [2]

  From 1990

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Donald J. Wineman in 1990

  Notes:

  [1] See Curatorial Note 8, Jan Stuart, December 1990, in the object record.

  Also, according to correspondence provided by Mr. Wineman, Klaus Naumann (of East Asian Art, Tokyo) informed him that he had once seen the object in the Kanazawa city home of a famous (unnamed) Japanese collector in 1968. Further, the Chinese rare book scholar Soren Edgren saw the object in Kyoto between 1969 and 1971 (see Curatorial Note 8, Jan Stuart, December 1990, in the object record).

  [2] See note 1.

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Container

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1790s, 1730s

• Name

  Takashi, Yanagi, Wineman, Donald J.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Animals, Scholar, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Spring, Qianlong reign (1736 - 1796), Dragon, Shoulao

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Containers