  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  The close ties between the Ry&Aring;&laquo;ky&Aring;&laquo; kingdom and the Ming Dynasty of China are clearly reflected in the motifs of this exquisite mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer box. A single phoenix symbolized the empress, good government, and happiness; when used in a pair, as on this box, phoenixes symbolized faithful love. 
The marks on the interior&acirc;&#128;&#148;a fan-shaped symbol and the Chinese character &acirc;&#128;&#156;tian&acirc;&#128;&#157; (heaven) in an archaic script&acirc;&#128;&#148;may identify these pieces as belonging to the seventeenth-century Ry&Aring;&laquo;ky&Aring;&laquo;an king and queen.
Fabric ties were attached to small rings on either side of the bottom section to secure the box and its contents. This box may have been a gift from the Ry&Aring;&laquo;ky&Aring;&laquo;an monarchy to a Japanese lord or lady, as seventeenth-century Japanese nobility particularly fancied such Chinese-styled objects.
  
  
  Title
  Box with Design of Phoenixes and Lotus Blossoms
  
  
  Artwork Date
  early 17th century
  
  Artist
  ----------
  
  
  
  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Japanese
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
  Ryukyuan
  
  
  Medium
  Lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl inlay and metal
  
  
  Dimensions
  3 1/4 &Atilde;&#151; 17 1/2 &Atilde;&#151; 5 1/8 inches (8.3 &Atilde;&#151; 44.5 &Atilde;&#151; 13 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Lacquer
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase with funds from anonymous donor
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  1983.5
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
