Decorative Arts | 16th–19th century
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Tea Bowl with a Chrysanthemum, Kyoto ware, Edo period, 17th century
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 8
August 1, 2023 (Tue) - October 22, 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 | Confectionary Box Made to Resemble an Insect Cage | By Nakayama Komin (1808–70) | Edo period, 19th century | H-4253 | |||
| 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 through August 6, 2023 | ||
| Highlight | Fireman's Coat ("Hikeshi Banten") with a Sword-Wielding Figure | Edo period, 19th century | I-3119 | On exhibit from October 3, 2023 | |||
| Mirror with a Handle and Rice Plants | Inscribed “Nishimura Bungo no Jō Fujiwara Masashige” | Edo period, 19th century | Gift of Mr. Tokugawa Yorisada, E-18041 | ||||
| Highlight | Large Dish with Rabbits and Pondweed | Imari ware | Edo period, 19th century | Gift of Dr. Hirano Kōsuke, G-4467 |