Carved lacquer box with pommel scroll design

Object Details

• Description

  Circular (tixi) box with domed cover; surface lacquered with nine alternating layers of red and black lacquer beginning and ending with black (in places the color is a lustrous brownish-black that appears translucent). Overall design carved with V-shaped grooves that have a slightly rounded trough (instead of a sharp point at the bottom). Cover of box decorated with a central medallion that consists of two spectacle-shaped pommel designs (jianwen) with small circle at the midpoint. Medallion surrounded by curvilinear scroll pattern (xiangcao) with bilateral projections--so called "double fish tails." Scroll design repeats on bottom half of box. Grooved bands appear at the lips of top and bottom halves of box; bottom also has a grooved band just above the foot. Slightly concave base lacquered with black. Interior of box is black over red lacquer.

• Provenance

  From 1957

  Mr. Hans W. Siegel, Ronco, Switzerland, Bangkok, Thailand, and Hong Kong, China, purchased from National Import and Export Cooperation, Canton, China, in 1957 [1]

  To 1995

  Andrew Kahane, Ltd. Oriental Art, New York City, acquired from Mr. Hans W. Siegel, to 1995 [2]

  From 1995

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Andrew Kahane, Ltd. Oriental Art in 1995

  Notes:

  [1] According to a letter in the object file, Mr. Hans W. Siegel purchased this object at the 1957 autumn antique fair of the National Import and Export Cooperation (see Curatorial Note 4 in the object record).

  [2] According to Curatorial Note 4 in the object record.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan (March 5, 2022 - July 24, 2022)

• Previous custodian or owner

  National Import and Export Cooperation

  Hans W. Siegel (1903-1997)

  Andrew Kahane, Ltd. (established 1986)

• 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

  1400s

• Name

  National Import and Export Cooperation, Siegel, Hans W., Andrew Kahane, Ltd.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Lacquer, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Containers