Rectangular box with lid

Object Details

• Label

  This box demonstrates the tixi technique, in which alternating layers of red and black lacquer create a thick surface on a wood core. Carving reveals thin hidden bands of contrasting colors that produce a rich optical effect. By the fourteenth century, this time-consuming process was mostly used to decorate small objects, such as this box for a scholar's writing table.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Worshipping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits (June 17 to September 9, 2001)

  The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

  Pavilions and Immortal Mountains: Chinese Decorative Art and Paintings (September 28, 1987 to February 28, 1988)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• 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

  1500s, 1640s

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Lacquer, Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368), Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Containers