Lacquer Box Inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl with Lotus Scroll Pattern

Joseon · 2F · Donated Collection · Donated Collection 2

This Joseon-period box is decorated with mother-of-pearl (najeon)—abalone and shell ground thin and inlaid as designs—and with daemo-bokchae, in which tortoiseshell is ground translucent and colored on the back so the hue softly shows through. Unlike the flat-lidded chests typical of the Joseon period, its lid is distinctive: the corners are folded so that they slope gently. On the lid's top and on the body, lotus and scroll designs fill cells divided by copper wire, surrounded by bands of bead motifs. The folded-cornered lid and the copper-wire borders carry on the tradition of Goryeo mother-of-pearl sutra boxes, but the bold, large motifs set against an open ground clearly show the character of Joseon lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

See it in person at the National Museum of Korea — 2F · Donated Collection · Donated Collection 2

Source: based on official e-museum records (National Museum of Korea).