four-legged urn

four-legged urn , circa 1880, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: silver; enamel; coral; gold; mother-of-pearl; Shibayama lacquer

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Length (Height x Width x Length): 6 7/16 x 4 3/4 x 3 3/4 in
Object Height/Width/Length (Height x Width x Length): 16.3 x 12.1 x 9.5 cm w. lid/wo. handles

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1929.0012.a,b

Not on display

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Civic Leader and Art Collector: Sallie Casey Thayer and an Art Museum for KU

While Shibayama is the name of a city in Chiba prefecture in the Kantō region of Japan, it also refers to a technique developed in the 18th century by Ōnogi Senzō (1772–1781), which involves inlaying precious materials in lacquer or metal. This inlay technique is known in the West by the French term lacquer burgauté, derived from the French for a type of mollusk called a “sea ear” (burgau) and lacquer (laque or lac). During the late 19th century, Japan produced shibayama inlayed lacquer, highly prized in European and American markets, almost exclusively for export. This shape of this vessel imitates an ancient Chinese ritual vessel known as a ding, but may have been used as an urn in the West.