This lacquered wood box is decorated with thin sheets of ox horn painted in bright colors. The technique developed fully in later Joseon lacquer ware, becoming a fashionable art form during this period, alongside lacquer with mother-of-pearl.
Decorative motifs on this piece include animals symbolizing good fortune, longevity, or protection, such as cranes, deer, dragons, phoenixes, and tigers. Similar imagery was also popular on paintings and ceramics during the nineteenth century.
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Artwork Details
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장생 무늬 화각 상자 조선 長生文華角箱子 朝鮮
Title:Box decorated with auspicious symbols
Period:Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
Date:19th century
Culture:Korea
Medium:Lacquered wood inlaid with flattened and painted ox horn
Dimensions:H. 6 in. (15.2 cm); W. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm); L. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Accession Number:2015.500.3.6a, b
[ Klaus F. Naumann , Tokyo, until 1988; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1988–2015; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Arts of Korea," June 7, 1998–January 24, 1999.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," August 23, 2003–June 28, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," January 14, 2005–October 29, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Birds and Flowers," November 1, 2006–April 29, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Buddhist Paintings from the Koryō Dynasty (918–1392)," May 8–October 22, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Maebyông," October 30, 2007–March 3, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Korea," June 10–October 24, 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. "Art of Korea: Buddhism and Buddhist Art," December 9, 2011–June 3, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Flora and Fauna in Korean Art," June 15, 2013–June 1, 2014.
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. "Essential Korea," June 7, 2018–November 14, 2021.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shell and Resin: Korean Mother-of-Pearl and Lacquer," December 13, 2021–July 5, 2022.
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