Miniature chest on six legs

Date17th century

Label TextThis miniature version of a karabitsu—a six-legged, lidded box, larger versions of which were used to store clothes, sutras, and other valuables—is made using a lacquer technique known as maki-e, literally “sprinkled pictures.” Emerging in the Japanese classical period, maki-e involves the application of powdered metals, mostly gold and silver, to lacquer to create pictorial decoration on furniture and furnishings. This box features chrysanthemums growing along a creekbank dotted with rocks and edged by a brushwood fence, depicted using a wide variety of maki-e techniques and types of metallic foils and powders.

Object number65.43

ProvenanceJohn Sparks Ltd., London, by 1965; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1965

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Going For Gold, November 3, 2012 - December 8, 2013.

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

DimensionsOverall h.: 5 3/4 in. Overall w.: 10 1/4 in. Overall diam.: 5 3/4 in.

MediumLacquer, wood, and gilt bronze