Storage Trunk (Nagamochi) with Family Crests, Pine, and Foliage Pattern

Storage Trunk (Nagamochi) with Family Crests, Pine, and Foliage Pattern

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This rectangular, portable trunk was designed to hold parts of the wedding trousseau of a high-ranking lady from the Konoe family. The exterior of the trunk and its gilded metal fittings are decorated with a foliage pattern and young pine branches, an auspicious symbol of longevity. A flowering peony, the Konoe family’s crest, is incorporated into the design. The two handles were designed so that a pole could be pulled through them, enabling two people to carry the trunk on their shoulders. One of the gosekke, Kyoto’s five top court aristocratic families, the Konoe were a wealthy and influential clan who intermarried with the imperial, and later shogunal and daimyo, families.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Storage Trunk (Nagamochi) with Family Crests, Pine, and Foliage PatternStorage Trunk (Nagamochi) with Family Crests, Pine, and Foliage PatternStorage Trunk (Nagamochi) with Family Crests, Pine, and Foliage PatternStorage Trunk (Nagamochi) with Family Crests, Pine, and Foliage PatternStorage Trunk (Nagamochi) with Family Crests, Pine, and Foliage Pattern

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.