Lacquerware

Writing Box with a Courtly Carriage
Edo period, 17th century (Important Cultural Property)

Upcoming
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 12
January 1, 2026 (Thu) - March 15, 2026 (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. Because of its versatility and beauty, lacquer has been central to daily life in parts of Asia for over 9,000 years.

In Japan, artisans coated everyday items with lacquer, including furniture, boxes, dining sets, and cosmetic and writing tools. The base material could be wood, pottery, cloth, leather, or paper. To decorate these items, artisans painted designs with a mixture of lacquer and pigment, or used lacquer like a glue to inlay metal and mother-of-pearl.

But the pinnacle of lacquer decoration in Japan is maki-e (sprinkled picture). It consists of painting a design with lacquer, and then sprinkling metal powders onto the sticky lacquer before it hardens. Artisans first used maki-e techniques in the 8th century. As shown in this gallery, they developed them to an extraordinary degree over the centuries.

Major Work(s) on Exhibit 6 results

	Designation	Name	Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance	Period	Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number	CMT
Highlight	Important Cultural Property	Writing Box with a Courtly Carriage		Edo period, 17th century	H-4231
Highlight	Important Cultural Property	Sutra Box with a Lotus Pond; Inner Tray with Buddhist Deities		Heian period, 1175	Lent by Nanatsu Temple, Aichi
		Pitcher with Autumn Grasses		Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century	H-4519
		Horned Basin with Autumn Grasses		Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century	H-529
		Towel Rack with Butterflies in a Field		Muromachi period, 16th century	H-411
Highlight		Spouted Sake Server with Flowering Plants		Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century	H-4698

Exhibitions

Exhibitions and Events