Artwork preview

Box with the Poet Narihira

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Round, dark brown lacquer box with a flat top and straight sides. The lid features a scene with two men and a woman, one man wearing a yellow headband and a long-sleeved robe, the other wearing a yellow and blue garment, and the woman wearing a blue top and yellow skirt. The scene depicts a nighttime setting with a building on the right side. The box's surface is adorned with mother-of-pearl inlays in shades of blue, purple, and pink. The sides of the box have a pattern of small, irregularly shaped mother-of-pearl pieces. The box is titled "Box with the Poet Narihira".

Artwork Details

Date
early 19th century
Medium
Black lacquer over copper, inlaid with mother-of-pearl
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
600 × 600 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette