Lacquer box inlaid with peony design (나전칠모란문상자)
Box
1800-1850 (made)
1800-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The sides and lid of this lacquered box are decorated with a peony design of mother-of-pearl inlay. The flowers on the front panel and lid are joined to a small turtle shell flowerpot by a stem made of twisted copper wire. Auspicious symbols of the seven-treasures design adorn the sides and slanted panels of the lid. The box dates from the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), and was probably made in the 19th century.
During the Joseon period lacquer was used predominantly on boxes and furniture, such as chests, low tables, clothes boxes, cosmetics cases, document boxes and sewing utensils. Many were inlaid with mother-of-pearl, turtle shell and sometimes rayskin. In general, the motifs tend to appear more robust than those on lacquerware of the Goryeo period (918-1392AD) which can be characterised by their fine floral designs delicately inlaid in mother-of-pearl.
During the Joseon period lacquer was used predominantly on boxes and furniture, such as chests, low tables, clothes boxes, cosmetics cases, document boxes and sewing utensils. Many were inlaid with mother-of-pearl, turtle shell and sometimes rayskin. In general, the motifs tend to appear more robust than those on lacquerware of the Goryeo period (918-1392AD) which can be characterised by their fine floral designs delicately inlaid in mother-of-pearl.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | Lacquer box inlaid with peony design (나전칠모란문상자) (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Lacquered wood inlaid with shell, turtle shell, and copper wires.
Korean inlaid lacquer (najeon chilgi 나전칠기) , crakling technique (tachalbeop 타찰법) |
| Brief description | Wooden box covered with lacquer inlaid with mother of pearl, turtle shell, and twisted copper wires, Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century. Box inlaid with potted peony flowers |
| Physical description | The sides and lid of the brown lacquer box are decorated with a peony design created using crackled shell inlays. The flower heads are joined to a small turtle shell flowerpot by a stem made of twisted copper wire. The sides and slanted panels of the lid are embellished with the auspicious seven-treasures design (chilbomun - coins, oxhorn-shaped cups, scrolls, musical instrument, mirror, angular ornaments and medicinal plant). Twisted copper wires are used to reinforce the edges of the box and to frame the different pictorial designs. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Sir Harry Garner |
| Object history | See FE.84:3-1974 for the storage box associated with this object. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The sides and lid of this lacquered box are decorated with a peony design of mother-of-pearl inlay. The flowers on the front panel and lid are joined to a small turtle shell flowerpot by a stem made of twisted copper wire. Auspicious symbols of the seven-treasures design adorn the sides and slanted panels of the lid. The box dates from the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), and was probably made in the 19th century. During the Joseon period lacquer was used predominantly on boxes and furniture, such as chests, low tables, clothes boxes, cosmetics cases, document boxes and sewing utensils. Many were inlaid with mother-of-pearl, turtle shell and sometimes rayskin. In general, the motifs tend to appear more robust than those on lacquerware of the Goryeo period (918-1392AD) which can be characterised by their fine floral designs delicately inlaid in mother-of-pearl. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.84:1, 2-1974 |
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| Record created | January 6, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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