Pair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin Ducks

Pair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin Ducks

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Altman bequest to The Met included fifty Japanese lacquers, featuring a group of small decorative incense boxes. Such objects were popular collectibles in Europe during the second half of the nineteenth century, following the eighteenth-century fashion of collecting small maki-e objects as part of aristocratic interior decoration. In East Asia mandarin ducks represent marital bliss and fidelity; they are often depicted on ceramics, lacquers, and textiles as auspicious symbols associated with weddings.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin DucksPair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin DucksPair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin DucksPair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin DucksPair of Incense Boxes (Kōgō) in the Shape of Mandarin Ducks

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.