Cosmetic chest with mirror stand

Accession Number
1955/1.157A-E

Title
Cosmetic chest with mirror stand

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
Early 19th century

Medium & Support
lacquered wood

Dimensions
26 in x 10 7/8 in x 10 7/8 in (66.04 cm x 27.62 cm x 27.62 cm)

Credit Line
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker

Label copy
Bridal trouseau
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Early 19th century
Black, red and gold lacquer on wood
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, 1955/1.157–168

Among the upper-class samurai of Edo-period (1615–1867) Japan, marriages were negotiated between families to suit political or economic ends. Families invested considerable resources in the education and material comfort of their daughters, and lavish bridal trousseaus, once a luxury reserved for daughters of court aristocrats or the most powerful warlords, became a social necessity for any high-ranking samurai family.

A standard trousseau included a custom-made set of over forty items made of lacquered wood and adorned with the family crests of the bride and groom. The love for seasonal motifs is seen in a lively floral scroll, centered on a crest of stylized paulownia blossoms that meanders across every object in the trousseau. Two additional family crests are scattered among the scrolls, one a chrysanthemum and the other an abstract geometric design based on the character for a water well.

The lacquer box that served as the mirror stand usually houses a group of smaller cases that formed a women's toilet set. The smaller cases hold combs, powders, brushes, and other grooming objects. The set was a necessary part of a bride's dowry and would have been carried with a bamboo pole from her home to that of her future husband.

Subject matter
A standard trousseau included a custom-made set of over forty items made of lacquered wood and adorned with the family crests of the bride and groom. The love for seasonal motifs is seen in a lively floral scroll, centered on a crest of stylized paulownia blossoms that meanders across every object in the ​trousseau. Two additional family crests are scattered among the scrolls, one a chrysanthemum and the other an abstract geometric design based on the character for a water well.

Physical Description
The base is a large cosmetic chest with two drawers covered in floral patterns in gold on black. The mirror stand on top of the cosmetic chest is covered in the same design with two chrysanthemum inlays above and below the space for the mirror. Part of a bridal trousseau.

Primary Object Classification
Decorative Arts

Primary Object Type
lacquer

Additional Object Classification(s)
Wood and Woodcarving

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Japan
Objects We Use
crests (motifs)
floral patterns
furniture
mirrors
squares
trousseaux
wood

2 Related Resources

Japan Pax Tokugawa 1600-1868
(Part of: Empires and Colonialism)
Marriage
(Part of 8 Learning Collections)

& Author Notes

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