Document Box with a Scene from the “Butterflies” Chapter of The Tale of Genji

Document Box with a Scene from the “Butterflies” Chapter of The Tale of Genji

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This lavishly decorated document box demonstrates the skill of a Meiji-period maki-e master. It is decorated with flowering cherry trees, a young willow tree, and a pleasure boat carrying a large gagaku drum for water music, as described in chapter 24 of The Tale of Genji. Genji, Lady Murasaki, and several courtiers set out for a spring boat party accompanied by musicians, and later exchange poems in celebration of the season. Part of a set with 1981.243.2(a-m)

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Document Box with a Scene from the “Butterflies” Chapter of The Tale of GenjiDocument Box with a Scene from the “Butterflies” Chapter of The Tale of GenjiDocument Box with a Scene from the “Butterflies” Chapter of The Tale of GenjiDocument Box with a Scene from the “Butterflies” Chapter of The Tale of GenjiDocument Box with a Scene from the “Butterflies” Chapter of The Tale of Genji

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.