Incense Box (Kōbako) in the Shape of Three Overlapping Jars

Incense Box (Kōbako) in the Shape of Three Overlapping Jars

Barthélémy Paviet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This exquisite box was originally made in Japan in the mid-eighteenth century as an incense container. The lacquer surface is embellished with refined maki-e details, including young pine trees on the exterior of the lid and a continuous seashore on the sides with auspicious motifs. The incense box was exported to Europe either by the Dutch or through the China trade, a route similar to that taken by the Japanese lacquer boxes owned by Queen Marie Antoinette (1755–1793). In Paris, the small box was turned into a jewel-like object by Barthélémy Paviet, who applied gilded mounts over the rims and lined the inside with a gold-like metal sheet.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Incense Box (Kōbako) in the Shape of Three Overlapping JarsIncense Box (Kōbako) in the Shape of Three Overlapping JarsIncense Box (Kōbako) in the Shape of Three Overlapping JarsIncense Box (Kōbako) in the Shape of Three Overlapping JarsIncense Box (Kōbako) in the Shape of Three Overlapping Jars

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.