Tray
Datelate 18th century
Maker
Japanese
Label TextBlack lacquer trays like this one depicting a pair of five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming jewel among clouds were created by workshops in the Ryūkyū Kingdom and sent to Beijing as tribute to the Qing court in China. In the 1870s, the Ryūkyū Islands were annexed by the Empire of Japan and today are part of Okinawa Prefecture.
Object number81.50
ProvenanceKlaus F. Naumann; purchased by the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981
Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Flights of Fancy: Natural and Supernatural Images In Japanese Art, December 9, 1998 - August 1, 1999.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, A Thousand Cranes: Treasures of Japanese Art, February 5 - July 12, 1987.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Center Harrison Street Gallery, Seattle Cherry Blossom And Japanese Cultural Festival, April 25-29, 1996.Published ReferencesSeattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, "A Thousand Cranes: Treasures of Japanese Art", co-published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA, 1987, pp. 142-143.
Knight, Michael, "East Asian Lacquers in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1992, no. 21, pp. 28-29Credit LineGift of the Asian Art Council of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm)
Diam.: 13 9/16 in.
MediumLacquered wood with mother-of-pearl inlay