Circular Container with Dragon and Phoenix Design (Translation)
剔彩龍風紋壽盒 明永樂 (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

16th century
Chinese
Containers-Boxes
Lacquerware
Multicolor lacquer with carved design (ticai)
Overall: 4 7/8 × 13 in. (12.38 × 33.02 cm)
75.27a-b
Not on view
The dragon and phoenix on this box indicate that it was made for the imperial family. Eight treasures and eight musical instruments—Taoist motifs symbolic of prosperity and good fortune—were carved on the outer bands and reveal the Jiajing emperor’s interests and beliefs. The bottom of the lacquer box is incised and filled in with gold, forming six characters that translate to “made in the reign of Jiajing of the Great Ming.”
Ming dynasty, Jiajing period (1522-1566)
大明嘉靖年制 (Made in the Jiajing of the Great Ming), in gold on the underside of the vessel
Special Oriental Art Purchase Fund
"Treasures from the Virginia Museum, Featuring the Faberge Collection", North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, April 21 - June 3, 1979
"Five Years of Collecting", VMFA, March 25 - May 4, 1980
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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