Cosmetic Box (Mayudzukuri-bako) with Pine, Bamboo, and Cherry Blossoms from a Wedding Set

Japan

Not on view

This lacquer box for eyebrow cosmetics, including a variety of brushes, was part of a spectacular wedding trousseau. It was commissioned to celebrate the marriage of Princess Taka (1809–1862) of the Shimazu clan (one of the wealthiest and most politically influential daimyo families of the time) to a son of the Matsudaira clan, relatives of the Tokugawa. The two family crests on the piece—the Shimazu cross in a circle and the Matsudaira stylized plum flower—symbolize the union. The pine and bamboo motifs are auspicious symbols associated with longevity and resilience and allude to good wishes for a happy marriage.

Cosmetic Box (Mayudzukuri-bako) with Pine, Bamboo, and Cherry Blossoms from a Wedding Set, Lacquered wood with gold, silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, cut-out gold and silver foil application on nashiji (“pear-skin”) ground, Japan

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Cosmetic Box (Mayudzukuri-bako) with Pine, Bamboo, and Cherry Blossoms from a Wedding Set, Lacquered wood with gold, silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, cut-out gold and silver foil application on nashiji (“pear-skin”) ground, Japan
Cosmetic Box (Mayudzukuri-bako) with Pine, Bamboo, and Cherry Blossoms from a Wedding Set, Lacquered wood with gold, silver takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, cut-out gold and silver foil application on nashiji (“pear-skin”) ground, Japan

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