Box with Scenes of a Departure

China

Not on view

Images of gentlemen traveling in the evening are common in Chinese pictorial lacquers, and it is possible that pearl shell was understood to be an appropriate medium for the depiction of a moonlit landscape. The vase and other vessels in the pavilion at left illustrate shapes found earlier in ceramics and metalwork and reflect the fascination with elegant living often found in the arts of the late Ming period.

Box with Scenes of a Departure, Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay; pewter wire, China

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Box with Scenes of a Departure, Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay; pewter wire, China
Box with Scenes of a Departure, Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay; pewter wire, China

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