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Source Description
In China, the chrysanthemum was historically appreciated for its association with the Double Nine Festival and the reclusive life of the poet Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427). In Japan, the 16-petaled chrysanthemum came to symbolize the Japanese imperial family after Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239) chose the motif as his personal emblem, having it applied to his sword and everyday utensils. This box proves that the flower also appeared on lacquer wares as early as the Kamakura period.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
139742
label
Cosmetics Box with Chrysanthemums
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
139742
contentType
object
title
Cosmetics Box with Chrysanthemums
description
In China, the chrysanthemum was historically appreciated for its association with the Double Nine Festival and the reclusive life of the poet Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427). In Japan, the 16-petaled chrysanthemum came to symbolize the Japanese imperial family after Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239) chose the motif as his personal emblem, having it applied to his sword and everyday utensils. This box proves that the flower also appeared on lacquer wares as early as the Kamakura period.
date
early 1300s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80037116
genreSpecific
Lacquer
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 17.6 x 29 x 22.8 cm (6 15/16 x 11 7/16 x 9 in.)
cul
Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)
accession
1963.513
Source extras
tec
lacquer on wood
tombstone
Cosmetics Box with Chrysanthemums (菊蒔絵手箱), early 1300s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333). Lacquer on wood; overall: 17.6 x 29 x 22.8 cm (6 15/16 x 11 7/16 x 9 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1963.513
titleInOriginalLanguage
菊蒔絵手箱
collection
Japanese Art
didYouKnow
In Japanese, this type of small box is called a <em>tebako</em>, literally a hand box, and was typically part of a cosmetics set.
citations
citation
“Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums, 1963.” <em>Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America</em> 18 (1964): 69–91.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 71, fig. 15
citation
Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review for 1963.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 50, no. 10 (December 1963): 263–294.
page_number
Mentioned: no. 65, p. 292; Reproduced: no. 65, p. 284
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 275
citation
Mayuyama, Junkichi 繭山順吉. <em>Japanese Art in the West</em>. [Tokyo]: Mayuyama & Co, 1966.
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 275
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 371
citation
Yamane, Yūzō 山根有三, Shūjirō Shimada 島田修二郎, and Terukazu Akiyama 秋山光和. <em>Zaigai Nihon no shihō</em> [在外日本の至宝 = Japanese Art: Selections from Western Collections, vol. 10]. Tōkyō: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1979.
page_number
vol. 10, no 2. 3-4, p. 109
citation
Lee, Sherman E., Michael R. Cunningham, and Ursula Korneitchouk. <em>One Thousand Years of Japanese Art (650-1650): From the Cleveland Museum of Art: Catalogue</em>. New York: Japan Society, 1981.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 39, no. 18
citation
Shimizu, Christine. Les laques du Japon: urushi. Paris: Flammarion, 1988.
page_number
p. 122
citation
Grossman, Nancy, James T. Ulak, Marjorie Williams, and Laurence Channing. <em>Art of Japan: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2005.
citation
Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. <em>The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011.
page_number
cat. no. 40
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
sketchfabId
0838c56a99d44993a0166eb0dc66c667
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:17:32.046000
sourceId
139742
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
lacquer on wood
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4febf811ae8675f5