Lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl became widespread in Korea in the twelfth century and continued to be the primary type of lacquer produced there into the nineteenth century. The lively and linked floral scrolls that cover the surface of this box are ubiquitous to the decoration of Korean lacquer.
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나전 칠 모란 넝쿨 무늬 서류상자 조선 螺鈿漆牡丹唐草文書類箱子 朝鮮
Title:Stationery box decorated with peony scrolls
Period:Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
Date:18th century
Culture:Korea
Medium:Lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl
Dimensions:H. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm); W. 15 in. (38.1 cm); L. 22 3/8 in. (56.8 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Accession Number:2015.500.3.5a, b
[ Klaus F. Naumann , Tokyo, until 1990; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1990–2015; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "East Asian Lacquer from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," November 22, 1991–February 23, 1992.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," August 23, 2003–June 28, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Asian Lacquer: Masterpieces from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," November 3, 2007–May 11, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Korea," July 7–November 15, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," May 19–November 7, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Representation/Abstraction in Korean Art," November 23, 2010–March 20, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Patchwork Textiles Across Cultures," August 24–December 5, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Korean Art," June 8–November 11, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Still Life in Korean Art," June 7, 2014–February 1, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the Met," February 7, 2015–March 27, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Expressions of Nature in Korean Art," April 2–September 18, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Splendors of Korean Art," October 1, 2016–October 22, 2017.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shell and Resin: Korean Mother-of-Pearl and Lacquer," December 13, 2021–July 5, 2022.
Watt, James C. Y., and Barbara Brennan Ford. East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1991, pp. 322–323, cat. no. 157.
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