Octagonal food box with Chinese immortals and floral design

Octagonal food box with Chinese immortals and floral design

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This richly decorated black-lacquered octagonal food box features recessed panels on each of its sides, inset with gilded metal mesh and surrounded by intricately inlaid mother-of-pearl designs of scrolling peony leaves and flowers. The rims of both the upper and lower sections also contain smaller recessed panels ornamented with inlaid mother-of-pearl dragons. The flat top of the box’s cover is inlaid with a design of Shoulao, the Chinese God of Longevity, riding a crane among clouds above a group of eight Daoist Immortals. The raised, faceted base is also ornamented with inlaid mother-of-pearl peony scrolls, and the interior of the vessel is lacquered in red. An inscription, now obliterated, on the underside of the vessel’s foot, may have indicated the origins of the piece, which was almost certainly made by a studio producing wares for the Ryukyu court. The lacquer techniques and style seen in this piece reflect the influence of Chinese and Korean decorative arts, especially lacquers with mother-of-pearl inlay.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Octagonal food box with Chinese immortals and floral designOctagonal food box with Chinese immortals and floral designOctagonal food box with Chinese immortals and floral designOctagonal food box with Chinese immortals and floral designOctagonal food box with Chinese immortals and floral design

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.