Decorative Arts | 16th–19th century
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Smoking Box with Glass Panels, Edo period, 19th century
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 8
May 9, 2023 (Tue) - July 30, 2023 (Sun)From the late 16th century, changes in society helped artisans to develop the decorative arts. In the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603), samurai warlords united Japan after more than a century of fighting. The following Edo period (1603–1868) saw economic growth under a new samurai government, with merchants and other people gaining the wealth to buy art.
Potters succeeded in making Japan's first porcelain in the early 17th century. Methods for decorating porcelain and other ceramics then became more diverse, as shown by works with gold, silver, and color enamels. Meanwhile, textiles saw rapid technical advances. The loom was improved to make complex weaves possible, while dyeing became as detailed and expressive as painting.
Items like furniture and dining sets were coated with lacquer and decorated with metal powders, most often gold. Lacquer workers refined this technique, called maki–e, and combined it with new materials for more elaborate designs. Metalworkers also began using a wider variety of base metals and alloys, creating works with greater detail and precision.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Armrest with a Phoenix and Paulownia Tree | Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century | H-4502 | ||||
| Shelf with Fishing Nets and Herons | Edo period, 17th century | H-459 | |||||
| Highlight | Formal Outer Kimono ("Uchikake") with Floral Fishing Nets, Yatsuhashi Bridges, and Butterflies | Edo period, 19th century | I-2939 | On exhibit through June 18, 2023 | |||
| Highlight | Formal Summer "Waist-Wrap" Kimono ("Koshimaki") with Chrysanthemum Crests, Pines, Bamboo, Plums, Cranes, and Turtles | Passed down by vassals of the Kurume domain | Edo period, 18th-19th century | I-4295 | On exhibit from June 20, 2023 | ||
| Highlight | Large Dish with Watermills | Nabeshima ware | Edo period, 17th–18th century | Private collection | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Portable Dining Set with Dragons and Waves | By Aoki Mokubei (1767–1833) | Edo period, 19th century | Gift of Mr. Kasagi Tōru, G-5293 |