IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 24270 accession number: O.1 & A-H-1947 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Tuesday 4 February 2020 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: Writing box (suzuribako), lacquer. Rectangular with rounded corners, a seated lid (A) and gold rims. It is of small size, probably made for a lady. The roiro ground (black lacquer polished to a deep gloss) is decorated in gold and silver takamakie (high-relief sprinkled design) of a boat with a drum in the stern moored behind a hillock on which grow pine, willow and a cherry tree in bloom. One tufted duck is swimming in the stream, another is perched on a rock (inlaid with silver) nearby. A small bird is singing on the willow. There is a gold character on the trunk of the cherry tree; there are cherry blossom flowers and petals scattered on the ground and in the stream; the sun is a raised shiny gold disc amongst clouds. The mikayeshi (the inside of the lid) shows a gold and a silver vase on stands, the former containing roses with stalks consisting of Japanese characters in gold wire, the latter containing cherry blossom with a character in silver wire. There are swallows and butterflies flying about each vase. The decoration is in gold hiramakie (low-relief sprinkled design). The inside of the lower section is decorated with gold hiramakie design of roses, cherry blossom, swallows and butterflies. The box contains a removable, rectangular ink-stone (B) lacquered on the base in nashiji (shimmering spangles) and resting in a nashiji tray (C) with a plain oblong, silver metal mizuire (water-dropper) (D). It also contains a removable nashiji rack (E), a knife (F) with a gold handle and cover decorated with butterflies and dragonflies, and with a silver mount; there is a gold lacquer utensil (G) with a furled acanthus leaf at one end. There is a cake of ink (H) (which has been used) decorated in gold with cranes and brocade on one side, and with an inscription on the other side: 'Ki? Kaku San,' meaning 'to be reckoned with the tortoise, ? and the crane' in everlasting ink; these are symbols of longevity. title: box NOTES ----- type: history note value: Bought from Mr Fukada, February, 1912 LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Applied Arts STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/24270 SUBJECTS ------------------- boat sun drum duck butterflies swallows cranes dragonflies bird pine roses acanthus willow cherry boat sun drum duck butterflies swallows cranes dragonflies bird pine roses acanthus willow cherry TECHNIQUES ---------- writing box, lacquer, the roiro ground (black lacquer polished to a deep gloss) is decorated in takamakie (high-relief sprinkled design), inside of lid decorated in hiramakie (low-relief sprinkled design), parts in nashiji lacquering CATEGORIES ------ category: lacquer DATING ------ creation date: 1890 - 1890 creation date earliest: 1890 creation date latest: 1890 culture: Meiji Period (1868-1912) culture: 19th Century CREATORS -------- maker: Unknown DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Height units: cm value: 3.2 dimension: Length units: cm value: 17.4 dimension: Width units: cm value: 15.6