2-748-359 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Phoenix in Paulownia, c. 1573-1599. This box--a container for an ink-stone, brushes, and ink--is both functional and lavish, its dramatic effects achieved with a pear-skin ground decoration (nashiji), and sprinkled powder decoration in high relief (takamaki-e). In contrast to the bright, celebratory motifs on the exterior, the interior of the box invites a more reflective mood with its autumn moonlit sky over chrysanthemums.