Unknown
Lacquer Box with Plum Tree, Bird, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum and Arabesque DesignJoseon dynasty (1392-1910), 18th century

Not on view

No image

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Lacquer Box with Plum Tree, Bird, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum and Arabesque Design
Place Made: Korea
Date Made: Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), 18th century
Medium: Brown lacquer on wood core with mother-of-pearl inlay and brass fittings
Dimensions: 7 × 18 × 14 in. (17.78 × 45.72 × 35.56 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with Museum Funds
Accession Number: M.2000.15.148
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Chinese and Korean Art
Curatorial Notes: During the Joseon dynasty (13921910), mother of pearl—often harvested from the inner shell of abalones, conches, or oysters—was a popular material for use in Korean lacquerware, earthenware, porcelain, embroidery, and paintings. This eighteenth-century box reflects long-honed skills in the mother-of-pearl technique called tachalbeop, a method of striking and scouring to produce the sophisticated smooth and curvilinear inlay designs on the black lacquer. The motifs adorning the box—bird, plum, chrysanthemum, bamboo—symbolize marital good wishes. The rectangular cartouche on the lid is decorated with a pair of birds signifying eternal marriage. Plum blossoms in the season considered the best time to wed and symbolically marks the first day of a new year. The chrysanthemum, a steadfast flower that can withstand wind and rain, is equated with loyalty, commitment, and fidelity, and is a reminder of generational family ties. Bamboo is evergreen and grows new shoots even when cut down, denoting hope for an enduring relationship even through strife. The three turtles on the metal fitting add a wish for a long union. The box, meant to hold precious items, would have been gifted to a couple on their wedding day.

Virginia Moon

April 2025
Selected Bibliography: Miguk Pakmulgwan Sojang Hanguk Munwhajae (The Korean Relics in the United States). Seoul: Hangukkukjae Munhwa Hyo*phwoi (International Cultural Society of Korea), 1989.
Korean Art Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, U.S.A. Daejeon, Republic of Korea: National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, 2012.

Unknown
Lacquer Box with Plum Tree, Bird, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum and Arabesque DesignJoseon dynasty (1392-1910), 18th century

Not on view

No image

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Lacquer Box with Plum Tree, Bird, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum and Arabesque Design
Place Made: Korea
Date Made: Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), 18th century
Medium: Brown lacquer on wood core with mother-of-pearl inlay and brass fittings
Dimensions: 7 × 18 × 14 in. (17.78 × 45.72 × 35.56 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with Museum Funds
Accession Number: M.2000.15.148
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Chinese and Korean Art
Curatorial Notes: During the Joseon dynasty (13921910), mother of pearl—often harvested from the inner shell of abalones, conches, or oysters—was a popular material for use in Korean lacquerware, earthenware, porcelain, embroidery, and paintings. This eighteenth-century box reflects long-honed skills in the mother-of-pearl technique called tachalbeop, a method of striking and scouring to produce the sophisticated smooth and curvilinear inlay designs on the black lacquer. The motifs adorning the box—bird, plum, chrysanthemum, bamboo—symbolize marital good wishes. The rectangular cartouche on the lid is decorated with a pair of birds signifying eternal marriage. Plum blossoms in the season considered the best time to wed and symbolically marks the first day of a new year. The chrysanthemum, a steadfast flower that can withstand wind and rain, is equated with loyalty, commitment, and fidelity, and is a reminder of generational family ties. Bamboo is evergreen and grows new shoots even when cut down, denoting hope for an enduring relationship even through strife. The three turtles on the metal fitting add a wish for a long union. The box, meant to hold precious items, would have been gifted to a couple on their wedding day.

Virginia Moon

April 2025
Selected Bibliography: Miguk Pakmulgwan Sojang Hanguk Munwhajae (The Korean Relics in the United States). Seoul: Hangukkukjae Munhwa Hyo*phwoi (International Cultural Society of Korea), 1989.
Korean Art Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, U.S.A. Daejeon, Republic of Korea: National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, 2012.