Lacquer Box Essay

The following essay describes the photos of the previous post. This is a formal analysis writing, so it is a little dry and lacks the first person perspective from which I normally write. It felt weird to me to not write in free form, but the teacher outlined specific elements to address in the paper such as shape, size, texture, lines, use of space, color, etc. I would have liked to focus more on the personal story of how this box found its way from 1850s Japan into my step-dad's house without ever being sold. But, I followed instructions, and for it my essay was awarded 100%!


A Moment Floating for 160 Years
By: Jon Wheeler
July 24, 2011
Art History 1.2 World Art Since 1500 sec. 9430


Though the artistic maker of this particular lacquer box for writing implements will forever remain a mystery, many facts can be revealed about it through it’s stunning appearance and the wonderful story it carries with it. It was probably crafted in the early to mid 1800s and certainly comes from Japan during the Edo period. It was given to a Scottish-American immigrant as a gift, or perhaps as part of an exchange, from a Japanese military sailor who came to San Francisco in the mid-1850s. The box has a wooden core, which is coated with many layers of lacquer and is finally painted on the top surface. It appears to be in very good clean condition for its age and has no restoration done on it. The sides of the top lid have broken off, but all the pieces are present. Inside the approximately ten-inch long by six-inch wide by six-inch high box, there is a small metal water pitcher, a stone ink well, and an original black ink stick molded with Japanese writing that is so old, it can’t be translated by a person who only reads modern Japanese. The painting on the top of the lid depicts two birds, painted in gold with red details, flying through bamboo branches painted in black, delineated by a gray outline. Perhaps the bamboo was originally colored and now it is faded. The bamboo motif carries onto all four sides of the box as well. The main compartment for holding the writing implements is a tray under the lid and there is a drawer in the lower half of the box that pulls out lengthwise to store additional items.

Overall, this piece is shaped as a rectangular box. One of the intriguing aspects of it though is that as a functional piece, it carries a multitude of shapes within. The birds are painted on the surface with representational rounded edges and the bamboo is painted with a slightly more realistic shape. Inside the box, the writing implements themselves each have unique shapes. The ink well stone is rectangular with rounded corners and the well portion of the stone slopes from shallow to deeper so the artist could work their ink stick partially on a dry surface, mixing down into the water as needed. The ink stick is a similar rectangle shape but is proportionally skinnier than the well. The little two-inch long pitcher is oval shaped with a tiny spout at one end so water can be meted out with fine accuracy. The tray under the lid has recessed areas crafted into its bottom so the ink well and water pitcher fit in like snug puzzle pieces, so they will not jostle in transport.

The color is wonderfully dynamic as well and warrants scrutinization. At first glance, a viewer might tend to say this work of art is black, and primarily, that is correct. However, there is a subtle color difference that outlines the bamboo images and the bright gold of the birds really jumps out. The red detail on the birds is also a stark contrast. When the lid is lifted off the box, an astute observer will notice the inner surfaces appear almost brown, as the black lacquer is speckled over the entire surface with a gold substance that looks like modern-day glitter. This is likely an application of a sprinkled design technique called maki-e, in which actual gold powder was embedded in one of the lacquer coats!

One of the pleasing aspects of the lacquer finish on this box is how it interacts with light. It is very shiny in appearance giving it a polished look of high quality; perhaps something a wealthy person could afford. Even though it is darkly colored, the box has a very bright look. Even the things within carry light and shine; the ink well is so smooth its surface seems polished and the ink stick has a glossy surface as well. Though the metal water pitcher is a bit tarnished, it probably was very shiny when it was new and could certainly be polished if the owner was interested in restoring it instead of leaving it in original condition. The inner surfaces with the golden speckles really sparkle when light shines upon them.

With the glossy finish of the box and its contents, most parts of it have a very smooth texture. The exception is the surface of the ink stick. It is embossed with very old Japanese writing in which the characters are raised from the surface around them. If one ran their fingers across the surfaces, it would seem smooth, but not in a flat way. It could be likened to a car license plate where there are no rough or jagged aspects to the surface, yet there are lumps to the smoothness. Inside the tray, the glittery appearance might suggest a grainy texture like sand, but in fact it is as smooth as the silver water pitcher.

The space and lines of this box are at once definite and changeable. The corners are sharp and from the outside it is symmetrical in both length and width. And then the lid comes off, the tray lifts out, the drawer pulls forth, the water pitcher is filled, the ink stick rubbed gently into the stone basin, and perhaps at one time, bamboo paint brushes were laid out, creating an entirely different spatial scene than one would observe when the box is functioning as a storage unit.

To understand the artistic intention of this piece, it is necessary to consider the intended audience. This piece wasn’t for viewing by twenty-first century American students of art, but belonged in a very specific context of nineteenth century Japan. Though it would have made a wonderful topic of conversation, this box was intended primarily as a tool for a calligraphy artist. The art on the exterior was perhaps an inspiration for the art that would be created using the box’s contents. The themes of birds and bamboo suggest a peacefulness and vibrancy of life to which an artist might draw a subconscious parallel with the life he gives to his own work. From the subtle background of bamboo, stationary but perhaps for an occasional breeze, the brightly colored birds appear in swift motion, wings outstretched toward each other, almost poised for embrace. Because this box indeed found its way out of Japan near the end of the Edo period, the birds really made a literal flight from their origin. Did the box-maker foresee the end of this repressive era and use these birds as an image of the freedom to emigrate? Speculation aside, the golden color of the birds and the gold-powder glitter within certainly suggest high value and wares fit for royalty. This would have been a fine set of tools for an artist to employ. The painting on the lid, which also incorporates the bamboo on the sides, appears to utilize the “floating world,” theme found in Ukiyo-e wood block prints. These birds in flight are in a specific moment, literally floating, reminding us to enjoy the beauty of each fleeting beautiful thing we encounter, as we enjoy this moment captured on top of the box.