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Double-Layered Box

2nd century BC

Not on view

This luxurious box formed part of the deceased’s personal effects, unearthed together with a large group of musical instruments and wood figurines of performers and waiters. A bronze mirror found in its lower layer indicates that it was a cosmetics box. The red and green clouds painted on its black-lacquered surface are outlined meticulously in white. Exceptionally, these patterns were applied using mineral pigments mixed with oil; among more than five hundred pieces of lacquer excavated at Mawangdui, only a few objects were painted in this way.

Double-Layered Box, Lacquer over wood, China — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

西汉双层漆奁

Title: Double-Layered Box

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Date: 2nd century BC

Culture: China

Medium: Lacquer over wood

Dimensions: H. 6 5/8 in. (16.9 cm); Diam. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)

Classification: Lacquer

Credit Line: Lent by Hunan Provincial Museum

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.