This very small, square 19th Century Incense Box is made up of four, equal sized, separate boxes stacked and fitted together. Made of carved wood covered with many layers of red lacquer, the four boxes rest at the bottom on a thin, indented base covered in starfish-like designs. On each side of the boxes is a long horizontal raised oval encircling three of four carved, raised objects. These objects repeat in various combinations on the different levels and sides, and include a broad brimmed hat, a fruit, two rolled objects tied together, kite shapes, linked diamond shapes, and other geometric shapes. The top of the lid has an image of a carved, squat, bare-footed human figure wearing an open, flowing robe and loose pants tied in a bow below a protruding belly and sagging breasts. The facial features are clearly demarcated although no clear hairline is present. The person carries a long, thin walking stick over the right shoulder, balanced by the right arm looping over the top of the stick. A subtle background of long, horizontal loops and lines outlined by the starfish motif, covers the remainder of the lid. Throughout the figures and objects are raised and reddish and the backgrounds are lower and darker reddish-brown color.
Japanese
Incense Box,
early 19th century
Carved red lacquer (tsuishu)
,
6.4 x 6.4 cm (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.)
Object details
Accession number
U18n32.a-d
Primary Creator
Japanese
Full title
Incense Box
Creation Date
early 19th century
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
Dimensions
6.4 x 6.4 cm (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.)
Display Media
Carved red lacquer (tsuishu)
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Little Salon
Rights and reproductions
The use of images, text, and all other media found on this website is limited. Please review Rights and Reproductions for details.
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.