Tray

late 18th century

Black 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.

Lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl inlay

1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm)

Diam.: 13 9/16 in.

Gift of the Asian Art Council of the Seattle Art Museum

81.50

Provenance: Klaus F. Naumann; purchased by the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Photo: Paul Macapia

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

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. 28-29

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