Message Case with Landscape
This tube-like message case, intended to hold precious documents, could be attached to a chain and carried as a pendant. A very unusual work, it was created in France using a Japanese lacquer object and French gilded mounts bearing the mark of discharge (décharge) for the city of Paris from about 1768 to 1774. Its maki-e decoration depicts a landscape with a house and rocky shore. As Japanese lacquers were rare and precious in Europe due to limited Western contact with the isolated island country, such objects were often repurposed and refurbished with the addition of expensive gold or gilded mounts, which were thought to enhance their beauty and significantly increased their value.
Artwork Details
- 楼閣山水蒔絵筒形手紙入
- Title: Message Case with Landscape
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: mid-18th century
- Culture: Japan and France
- Medium: Lacquered wood with gold and silver hiramaki‑e and togidashimaki‑e, with gilded mounts
- Dimensions: L. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
- Classification: Lacquer
- Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.281.3a–c
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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