Week 9: Free Writing Of Chosen Object

Cabinet. Japan, late 16th or 17th century. Wood, lacquer, gold, copper, mother-of-pearl. 2014-00941

Lacquered furniture was produced in Japan for Europe and European ports in Asia. It was decorated in the so-called namban (“barbarians” from the south) style. In the late 16th and 17th centuries, the word namban was applied to all foreigners except Chinese and Koreans. The style is associated with depictions of foreigners, or objects made in European shapes.

 

Visual Analysis:

The object that is displayed is a wooden cabinet, from Japan. It is a medium sized box, with eight drawers or compartments, and it seems easily handled and carried by one man. What is special about this cabinet is the reflective coating known as lacquer that gives the wood its shine. Lacquer is a material that is renowned to Japan, back in those days. Lacquered furniture was one of the most prized Japanese exports to Europe. The cabinet is very geometric in shape, from its cubic form, its rectangular drawers, and decorative patterns all over. This pattern could be an indication of an adopted style and could give us a hint as to the merchant countries who imported these furniture items. As we know that lacquered furniture exported from Japan are very popular and precious in Europe, we can speculate that these would be cabinets for wealthy and royal families.

The cabinet is also embellished with other materials as well, such as gold, copper and mother-of-pearl ­– giving another dimension to its shine and reflective details. This provides the patterns of the cabinets as well, which are repetitive decorative four petal flowers, as well as a checkered trim around the edges. The top of the box has a middle frame that is more ornate, seemingly with organically shaped flowers of gold, copper and mother-of-pearl. The materials used are evidently very precious and expensive, which goes to show the value of the item. As it is handmade, the precision it takes to cut out the individual pieces of mother-of-pearl pieces and place them on the box in such an organised manner is no easy feat. This goes to prove the painstaking efforts it takes to embellish this box, adding to the exquisiteness of the item. This would go to also hint that perhaps it was used as gifts from one royal family to another, or as diplomatic presents. It also suggests that these were probably not really mass produced for just anyone to own but made exclusively when an “order” is made.

There are copper metal corners and handles around the cabinet as well, making the box very sturdy. The metal also forms the keyholes of the eight compartments of the cabinets. Upon closer inspection, the details on these metal features are particularly ornamented, with minute carvings and the keyholes are carved in the shape of a crest (with exception to the one right in the middle). The crest could be a family crest that the cabinet was built for. The drawers of the cabinet are relatively shallow and of different sizes. It reminds me of a storage organiser for jewelry, with the different drawer sizes used to store various types of jewelry such as necklaces, rings, bangles and bracelets. The drawer that stands out to me the most is the one in the middle, as it is the one that is the most unique out of all of them. The keyhole is also different as it is not in the shape of the crest, but rather a semicircle. The way the wood is carved underneath the metal plate is also special, with two “pillars” framing a deeper carved area in the middle. It is reminiscent of a doorway arch, and perhaps that is what it is meant to symbolise and possibly the origins of the design. It could indicate the style of doorways in the European counties that it was exported to as well.

What intrigues me are the compartments in this cabinet, as the drawers lies perfectly flat against the surface of the box, there is no way of one opening the box with just their fingers alone. A key would always be needed to open each drawer, and hence to close them up properly would also require the key to be turned to lock it up. This means that the drawers would not be able to be opened both or three or more at once. I would deduce that what this cabinet holds in each compartment must be of extreme high value, such as exquisite jewelry, heirlooms, or perhaps even family secrets and treasures. This gives us an insight to exactly how important and wealthy and regal the user of this cabinet is. The metal handles on the side of the cabinet also suggests that it is an item that is portable and transportable.

 

Many facets of this object certainly goes to prove the value and worth of it and it proposes the patrons who uses this object as well. More importantly, it also goes to prove the craftsmanship of the Japanese back in the days due to the intricacy of the details and decadent materials used.

One Reply to “Week 9: Free Writing Of Chosen Object”

  1. Nice free writing and visual analysis–you have clearly thought about materials, production, functions, and patronage. But, what is lacquer? What is the history of Europe’s fascination with lacquer? Time for some contextual analysis!

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