1 / Converging Cultures
| Artist / Origin |
Ou family of Wenzhou, Zhehian Province, China
Region: East Asia
|
|---|---|
| Date |
Southern Song or Yuan Dynasty, ca. 1250
Period: 1000 CE - 1400 CE
|
| Material |
Lacquer over leather, bamboo, wood, metal mounts
Medium: Other
|
| Dimensions | H: 17 ¼ in. (43.8 cm.), W: 28 ¾ in. (72.1 cm.), D: 15 in. (38.1 cm). |
| Location | Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY |
| Credit | Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum |
expert perspective
| Ladan AkbarniaAssociate Curator of Islamic Art, Brooklyn Museum |
expert perspective
Ladan Akbarnia
Associate Curator of Islamic Art, Brooklyn Museum
“backIn the case of our traveling coffer, you have an object that was produced in China, but may have been produced either by a Muslim craftsman or by someone who was imitating a type of composition that wasn’t originally Chinese. This coffer is interesting because it contains many elements of both Chinese culture and of Islamic culture. It was produced in China; it has an inscription that tells us that. We have the name of the person who created it. But the name, within the Chinese language, appears to be a foreign name. So it’s possible that a Muslim craftsman could have produced the actual piece. It has motifs that are typically Chinese motifs that are associated with—have auspicious meanings often associated with—weddings. And this makes it possible that the actual trunk, or the coffer, was produced as a wedding trunk.
In addition to having these motifs that are typically Chinese, the actual composition of the panel, the lid panel and also the side panels on this piece are very similar to the types of compositions that we find in Islamic book bindings even though they date a little bit later. So, it shows a real combination of two different cultures.”