Box for Writing Equipment (Suzuribako) with a Landscape Motif

This suzuribako, a box for writing utensils, is one of the Japanese togidashi treasures. It is a technique in which the bas relief of a polychrome lacquer maki-e picture is covered in additional layers of gently polished lacquer. The character of its detailed decoration approaches the masterful decoration of lacquer miniatures. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, luxurious utensils for daily use were especially popular among the burghers who were growing increasingly wealthy. At this time, old suzuribako boxes were often imitated, their artistic motifs commonly inspired by ancient Chinese and Japanese poetry. The box’s decoration frequently includes written uta-e – characters referring to famous poems.