Foliate Tray with a Dragon and Waves, Yuan dynasty, 14th century (Important Cultural Property)
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 9
April 5, 2022 (Tue) - July 3, 2022 (Sun)
Lacquer is the sap of the lacquer tree, which grows in East and Southeast Asia. Naturally sticky, it can be brushed onto different materials, and hardens into a durable coating that is waterproof and resistant to acids, alkalis, and heat.
The history of lacquerware in China dates back to the Neolithic period. Over the past 7,000 years, a number of ornate decorative techniques have grown out of Chinese innovations, including: built-up layers of lacquer that are then carved, mother-of-pearl inlay, incised lines of gold, and a special type of decorative inlay made up of different colors of lacquer and outlined in incised lines.
Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
Highlight | Foliate Spittoon | China | Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th century | TH-498 | |||
Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Foliate Tray with a Dragon and Waves | China | Yuan dynasty, 14th century | TH-9 | ||
Box with Figures and a Pavillion in a Landscape | China | Yuan dynasty, 14th century | TH-300 | ||||
Highlight | Box with Pommel Scrolls and Auspicious Calligraphy | China | Ming dynasty, 17th century | TH-58 |