Red lacquer writing box

Red lacquer writing box

Japanese, late 18th - late 19th century
Carved red lacquer, black lacquer, silver, stone

Our November Object of the Month is a Japanese writing box decorated in carved red urushi lacquer. The technique of carving red urushi lacquer originated in China and was introduced into Japan in the Muromachi period around the 1300s to the 1500s. Japanese urushi lacquer craftsmen perfected the technique and used it to decorate luxurious boxes for the upper classes. Urushi lacquer is made from the sap of a tree which grows in East Asia. It is applied to a base, usually made from wood, in thin layers. Each layer is allowed to harden before the next is added. To create the carved decoration which can be seen on our Object of the Month, the urushi lacquer is coloured with mercury sulphide powder and applied in at least thirty layers, and possibly up to one hundred layers. Geometric motifs, landscapes, plants, and animals are then carved into the thick red urushi lacquer. 

The decoration on this writing box is very finely carved. A traditional Chinese motif was chosen to compliment the Chinese-style decoration – a pair of phoenixes or ho-o birds. It is believed that ho-o birds only appear in peaceful and prosperous times. They are associated with the Empress and the Imperial family. In Japanese art, they are often depicted alongside kiri or paulownia – a type of hardwood tree. The two ho-o birds on the writing box are depicted in a kiri tree, and the silver water dropper inside is in the form of kiri leaves.

Along with the water dropper, writing boxes also contain an inkstone. The inkstone is the most important part of the writing box – the word in Japanese for a writing box is suzuribako or ‘inkstone box’. During the Tanabata Festival which takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month each year, inkstones are carefully washed as part of a ritual.  In order to prepare ink, a few drops of water are applied to the inkstone from a small hole in the water dropper. A stick of dried ink is rubbed against the stone to create ink. Ink sticks were made from pine tree soot mixed with animal glue. Cloves and sandalwood were sometimes added as a scent to the ink. The inkstone is sloped so that the ink made from the ink stick dissolved in water accumulates at one end. There is space in the box either side of the inkstone where brushes can be kept.

The box contains all the utensils needed for writing Japanese or painting using ink and brush. Whilst the writing box is in use, the lid can be turned over and used to hold snacks or other small items. Urushi lacquer writing boxes were both practical and they were treated as treasured artworks that could be displayed.

A Woman Writing, Suzuki Harunobu, woodblock print, c. 1764 0 1768, Brooklyn Museum, accession number X119.1

The warrior rulers of Japan and the upper classes began collecting objects and artworks from China in large quantities from the 1300s. Collectors were particularly interested in items that were made to be used or displayed in a Chinese scholar’s study, such as paintings, calligraphy scrolls, vases, writing implements, and small sculptures. Treasures from China were displayed in a special alcove called the tokonoma. Wealthy and important people could show off items from their collection during the tea ceremony. They would invite guests to share in the ritual preparation and drinking of tea whilst admiring carefully selected artworks displayed in the tokonoma. For the upper classes, owning Chinese objects was a way to emphasise their elite status and access to specialist knowledge and treasures from China.

In the cities of the Edo period, from the 1600s to the 1800s, there was a craze for Chinese culture. Artists, poets, and calligraphers gathered to appreciate and exchange examples of Chinese artworks. Printed Chinese painting manuals became widely available which artists used to paint Chinese-style landscapes and ink paintings. Collecting and appreciating Chinese objects became more widespread amongst wealthy merchants, as they aspired to live like the upper classes. Luxury products made in Japan that imitated Chinese styles became popular. Our Object of the Month is an important example of this type of object.    

Two Chinese Scholars Practicing Calligraphy in their Studio, woodblock print, unidentified artist, c. 1840, Metropolitan Museum, object number 2007.49.264

This object is just one of the many objects that form part of Denys Eyre Bower’s five impressive collections which include Ancient Egyptian, Japanese, Buddhist, Stuart and Jacobite, and Books. For more information on these objects, review our Object of the Month series, visit the Historic House and Collections or contact our Curator, Naomi Collick by email or by calling 01892 870347.