Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Books

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Books

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Beautifully bound works of literature decorate the top of this box. The two closed books bearing titles are the poetry anthology Zoku gosenshū and "The Autumn Excursion", Chapter 7 of the Tale of Genji; the partially open book quotes from a poetry contest. The illustration in the fully open book shows a scene from "Channel Buoys", chapter 14 of The Tale of Genji.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with BooksWriting Box (Suzuribako) with BooksWriting Box (Suzuribako) with BooksWriting Box (Suzuribako) with BooksWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Books

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.