Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Deer and Butterflies

Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Deer and Butterflies

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This document box is embellished with seasonal motifs: the butterflies represent spring, and the deer is a symbol of autumn. The lid is decorated with an autumn landscape featuring large ferns. Deer were favored as design elements by Rinpa lacquer artists, but they had been represented in Japanese lacquer art since the medieval period. Autumn landscapes with deer were popular painting subjects in the Edo period.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Deer and ButterfliesDocument Box (Ryōshibako) with Deer and ButterfliesDocument Box (Ryōshibako) with Deer and ButterfliesDocument Box (Ryōshibako) with Deer and ButterfliesDocument Box (Ryōshibako) with Deer and Butterflies

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.