The Van Diemen Box (detail), Japan

The Van Diemen Box (detail), Japan, 1636 - 1639. Museum no. W.49-1916

The Van Diemen Box (detail of lid)
Japan
1636 - 1639
Wood, black lacquer, gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer, inlaid with gold and silver foil
Museum no. W.49-1916

The name of this box derives from an inscription, Maria Van Diemen, on the inside of the lid. Maria was the wife of Anton Van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1636 to 1645. Another box in an English house, of the same size, shape, quality and also with Genji decoration, is inscribed with the name of Van Diemen's second-in-command. A combination of biographical details allows both boxes to be dated to 1636-1639.

The Van Diemen Box (detail), Japan

The Van Diemen Box (detail), Japan, 1636 - 1639. Museum no. W.49-1916

The Van Diemen Box (detail of inner tray)
Japan
1636 - 1639
Wood, black lacquer, gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer, inlaid with gold and silver foil
Museum no. W.49-1916

The name of this box derives from an inscription, Maria Van Diemen, on the inside of the lid. Maria was the wife of Anton Van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1636 to 1645. Another box in an English house, of the same size, shape, quality and also with Genji decoration, is inscribed with the name of Van Diemen's second-in-command. A combination of biographical details allows both boxes to be dated to 1636-1639.

The Van Diemen Box (detail), Japan

The Van Diemen Box (detail), Japan, 1636 - 1639. Museum no. W.49-1916

The Van Diemen Box (detail showing base)
Japan
1636 - 1639
Wood, black lacquer, gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer, inlaid with gold and silver foil
Museum no. W.49-1916

The name of this box derives from an inscription, Maria Van Diemen, on the inside of the lid. Maria was the wife of Anton Van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1636 to 1645. Another box in an English house, of the same size, shape, quality and also with Genji decoration, is inscribed with the name of Van Diemen's second-in-command. A combination of biographical details allows both boxes to be dated to 1636-1639.

Panel, Japan

Panel, Japan, about 1640. Museum no. FE.56-2009

Panel
Japan
About 1640
Wood, black, gold and silver lacquer
Museum no. FE.56-2009

This panel has been recently-acquired by the V&A and is thought to derive from the top of another chest closely related to the Mazarin Chest. The decoration is surrounded by pairs of confronting phoenixes, the distinctive feature which is unique to this group. The quality, though, is not as high as the Mazarin Chest.

Casket in Renaissance Form, Japan

Casket in Renaissance Form, Japan, 1630s. Museum no. 628-1868

Casket in Renaissance Form
Japan
1630s
Wood, black lacquer, gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer, shell, ivory, gilt metal
Museum no. 628-1868

The form of this elaborate casket is distinctly non-Japanese. More specifically it resembles the highly ornate and sumptuous caskets of the late Renaissance. The motifs and techniques of decoration, however, make frequent allusion to China. In this it is very similar to the Kara-mon and Yomei-mon gates of the Tosho-gu Shrine, Nikko, the lavish mausoleum to the first Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616). In particular the gold lacquer dragons on the ivory columns of the casket are strikingly similar to the columns of the Kara-mon gate. Its wooden columns are whitewashed and decorated with dragons in gilt metalwork and exotic woods. Since work on the gates was finished in 1636, it seems highly probable that these influenced the lacquer artist, who made the casket at a slightly later date.
 

Kara-mon and Yōmei-mon gates of the Tōshō-gu Shrine, Nikkō, Japan

Miniature Casket, Japan

Miniature Casket, Japan, about 1640. Museum no. FE.63-1997

Miniature Casket
Japan
About 1640
Wood, gold, silver and black lacquer
Museum no. FE.63-1997

The very small size and distinctive shape of this casket reveals unmistakable similarities to seventeenth century wedding caskets of the Netherlands and surrounding areas. There such caskets were traditionally made of expensive materials, such as silver, and filled with coins. A young man would then offer them to the woman he intended to marry. The very high quality of this rare lacquer casket suggests it was the result of a specific commission either in Holland or by an official in the Dutch East Indies. It is possible to speculate that it may have been made for the wedding of Maria and Anton Van Diemen in 1630, or that of his second-in-command, Pieternelle Buys and Philip Lucasz, in 1634.

The Vitel Cabinet, Paris

The Vitel Cabinet, Paris, 1830 - 1840. Museum no. 1084-1882

The Vitel Cabinet
Vitel (stamped)
Paris
1830 - 1848
Oak, tortoiseshell, brass, ebony, bois satiné and purplewood,  black and gold lacquer decoration on panels inlaid  with pearl shell, silver & kirikane, vernis Martin, gilt  brass mounts and a Breccia marble slab top
Museum no. 1084-1882

The Vitel Cabinet (detail showing panel), Paris

The Vitel Cabinet (detail showing panel), Paris, 1830 - 1840. Museum no. 1084-1882

The Vitel Cabinet (detail showing panel)
Paris
1830 - 1848
Oak, tortoiseshell, brass, ebony, bois satiné and purplewood,  black and gold lacquer decoration on panels inlaid  with pearl shell, silver & kirikane, vernis Martin, gilt  brass mounts and a Breccia marble slab top
Museum no. 1084-1882

The Vitel Cabinet (detail showing panel), Paris

The Vitel Cabinet (detail showing panel), Paris, 1830 - 1840. Museum no. 1084-1882

The Vitel Cabinet (detail showing panel)
Paris
1830 - 1848
Oak, tortoiseshell, brass, ebony, bois satiné and purplewood,  black and gold lacquer decoration on panels inlaid  with pearl shell, silver & kirikane, vernis Martin, gilt  brass mounts and a Breccia marble slab top
Museum no. 1084-1882