Document Box

early 17th century

Japanese

Not On View

Image Only Image + Details All Images High Resolution TIFF Metadata

About the Artwork

Please note: This section is empty
Markings

Please note: This section is empty

This section contains information about signatures, inscriptions and/or markings an object may have.
Provenance

Please note: This section is empty

Provenance is a record of an object's ownership. We are continually researching and updating this information to show a more accurate record and to ensure that this object was ethically and legally obtained.

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Published References

Please note: This section is empty

We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Catalogue Raisonné

Please note: This section is empty

A catalogue raisonné is an annotated listing of artworks created by an artist across different media.
Credit Line for Reproduction

Please note: This section is empty

The credit line includes information about the object, such as the artist, title, date, and medium. Also listed is its ownership, the manner in which it was acquired, and its accession number. This information must be cited alongside the object whenever it is shown or reproduced.

About the Artwork

This is a prime example of sixteenth- to early seventeenth-century Kōdai-ji style lacquer ware decorated with paulownia and chrysanthemum crests among autumnal motifs of pampas grass and bush clover. Spectacular effects were achieved by sprinkling gold (maki-e) in wet lacquer to form flat modulated “pear skin” grounds accentuated by needle engraving. In 1606 the wife of the powerful warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a family mausoleum on the grounds of the Kyoto temple Kōdai-ji. This daring new style of lacquer was created for the temple’s furnishings and had a tremendous influence on later Japanese lacquer and painted ceramics.

Title Document Box

Artwork Date early 17th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Japanese

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Japanese

Medium Lacquer and gold maki-e on wood

Dimensions Overall: 7 inches × 17 1/2 inches × 11 inches (17.8 × 44.5 × 27.9 cm)

Classification Lacquer

Department Asian Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase with funds from anonymous donor

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 81.1.A

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Provenance

Please note:This section is empty

Provenance is a record of an object's ownership. We are continually researching and updating this information to show a more accurate record and to ensure that this object was ethically and legally obtained.

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Published References

Kyoto National Museum, KODAI-JI MAKI-E, 1971.

DIA BULLETIN, vol 59, no 4, 1981, p 120 (ill).

DIA, 100 MASTERWORKS FROM THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS, Hudson Hills Press, Inc, NY, 1985, p 56, p 57 (ill).

Mitchell, S.W., "The Asian Collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts", ORIENTATIONS, vol 13, no 5, May 1982, pp 14-36, fig 18.

Mitchell, S., "A portfolio of East Asian lacquers," APOLLO, vol 124, no 298, Dec., 1986, p 75, (ill).

Cunningham, Michael, "The Triumph of Japanese Style", Cleveland and Indiana Univeristy Press, 1991, pl 48.

Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.

Suggest Feedback

Catalogue Raisoneé

Please note: This section is empty

Credit Line for Reproduction

Japanese, Document Box, early 17th century, Lacquer and gold maki-e on wood. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from anonymous donor, 81.1.A.