Viet Nam

Title

Covered box

Other titles:

Box for betel nut utensils

Place of origin

Viet Nam

Cultural origin

Old Imperial capital of Hue

Year

circa 1900

Media category

Lacquerware

Materials used

tortoiseshell, mother of pearl, lacquer, gesso, gold leaf, silver

Dimensions

11.0 cm; 24.5 cm diam.

Credit

Goldie Sternberg Southeast Asian Art Purchase Fund 1992

Accession number

264.1992.a-c

Location

Not on display

Further information

This box and its various compartments held all the implements and ingredients required for the hospitable gesture of preparing and offering the betel nut concoction popular in many Southeast Asian countries. The box is skilfully inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which has been expertly shaped to fully exploit the glowing tones of opalescent pink and blue-green that can be elicited from the shell by a careful artisan. The scene on the cover, as well as the floral sprays around the sides, are Chinese in taste, and the piece could well have been made for use within the imperial court at Hue, the 19th century capital of the last royal dynasty in Vietnam, the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945).

The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.304.

Bibliography (3)

Jackie Menzies (Editor), The Asian Collections Art Gallery of New South Wales, Domain, 2003, 304-305 (colour illus.). The colour illus. on page 305 is a detail of this work.

Ann Proctor, Bon Mau Co Ban - Four Colours., Analysis and discussion of selected works from AGNSW, 'Mother of Pearl Inlay-Vietnam', pp.12-15, Sydney, Feb 2003, 12 (colour illus.), 13-15. section 4

Bon Mau Co Ban - Four Colours. Vietnamese Art Case Study, Sydney, Feb 2003, not paginated (colour illus.). section 5

Exhibition history (1)

Great gifts, great patrons, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 17 Aug 1994–19 Oct 1994