Writing box with design of boy and ox
Place of OriginJapan
Date1800-1868
PeriodEdo period (1615-1868)
MaterialsLacquer on wood with metal, coral, and mother-of-pearl inlay
DimensionsH. 3 3/4 in x W. 7 1/2 in x L. 8 3/8 in, H. 9.5 cm x W. 19.1 cm x L. 21.3 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60M400.a-.e
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsDecorative Arts
On View
Not on viewThis design of an ox and a herder boy allude to the Zen metaphor of the mind as a rampaging beast that must be tamed, as enlightenment cannot be achieved without struggle. Zen meditation would tame the ox of the mind by means of religious discipline.
Subject
- ox
approx. 1675-1725
1800-1900
1700-1800
approx. 1868-1900
1700-1800
1300 - 1368
1500-1650