Maker: Unknown
Toilet box with buddhist motifs. Wood, covered with reverse-painted horn, with metal fittings. The cover of this box can be folded back to support a rectangular mirror which is hidden inside. Beneath it are two tiers of drawers for cosmetics. The box is made of pinewood and covered with plaques of painted ox horn, a technique called hwagak. This involved cutting, flattening and polishing pieces of horn into thin translucent squares, which were then painted on the reverse and attached to the box. The nine plaques of the top are decorated with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, a goat, an elephant, tigers and tortoises, the twelve plaques on each side and the nine on the back with similar animals as well as deer, peonies and camellias, and the six plaques of the front with further Buddhas, peonies, a tortoise and a horse; they are painted in light green, yellow, and bright red on a red background. The lock, handles, hinges and corner fittings are made of 'white bronze' (paektong).
History note: Unknown before donor
Gompertz Gift
Height: 19.4 cm
Length: 27 cm
Width: 19.8 cm
Method of acquisition: Given (1984) by Gompertz, G. St. G. M., Mr and Mrs
Choson Dynasty (1392 - 1910)
19th Century
Circa
1800
-
1900
Such pieces with their soft and warm colours were popular items for ladies' dressing tables.
Metal Fittings
composed of
white bronze
( paektong)
Plaques
composed of
ox horn
Box
composed of
pinewood
Exterior Of Box
Accession number: O.12-1984
Primary reference Number: 16615
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Box" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/16615 Accessed: 2025-07-15 01:12:46
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/16615
|title=Box
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-07-15 01:12:46|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-16615
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...