Skip to main content
Smithsonian main website

Search

Donate

EnglishEnglish
EnglishEnglishAfrikaansAfrikaansAlbanianAlbanianAmharicAmharicArabicArabicArmenianArmenianAzerbaijaniAzerbaijaniBasqueBasqueBelarusianBelarusianBengaliBengaliBosnianBosnianBulgarianBulgarianCatalanCatalanCebuanoCebuanoChichewaChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCorsicanCroatianCroatianCzechCzechDanishDanishDutchDutchEsperantoEsperantoEstonianEstonianFilipinoFilipinoFinnishFinnishFrenchFrenchFrisianFrisianGalicianGalicianGeorgianGeorgianGermanGermanGreekGreekGujaratiGujaratiHaitian CreoleHaitian CreoleHausaHausaHawaiianHawaiianHebrewHebrewHindiHindiHmongHmongHungarianHungarianIcelandicIcelandicIgboIgboIndonesianIndonesianIrishIrishItalianItalianJapaneseJapaneseJavaneseJavaneseKannadaKannadaKazakhKazakhKhmerKhmerKoreanKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)Kurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzKyrgyzLaoLaoLatinLatinLatvianLatvianLithuanianLithuanianLuxembourgishLuxembourgishMacedonianMacedonianMalagasyMalagasyMalayMalayMalayalamMalayalamMalteseMalteseMaoriMaoriMarathiMarathiMongolianMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)Myanmar (Burmese)NepaliNepaliNorwegianNorwegianPashtoPashtoPersianPersianPolishPolishPortuguesePortuguesePunjabiPunjabiRomanianRomanianRussianRussianSamoanSamoanScottish GaelicScottish GaelicSerbianSerbianSesothoSesothoShonaShonaSindhiSindhiSinhalaSinhalaSlovakSlovakSlovenianSlovenianSomaliSomaliSpanishSpanishSudaneseSudaneseSwahiliSwahiliSwedishSwedishTajikTajikTamilTamilTeluguTeluguThaiThaiTurkishTurkishUkrainianUkrainianUrduUrduUzbekUzbekVietnameseVietnameseWelshWelshXhosaXhosaYiddishYiddishYorubaYorubaZuluZulu
Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
  • Visit
    Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Location and Directions
    • Calendar of Events
    • Public Programs
    • Floor Plan
    • Tours and Itineraries
    • Amenities
    • Accessibility
    • Reviews
    • Alerts
    Visit »

    Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    Admission is always free!

    2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
    Washington, DC 20002

    Our entrance is on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE.

    street map of Postal museum

    Learn more
  • Exhibitions
    Exhibitions
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Past Exhibitions
    • Virtual Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    The museum's Atrium
  • Learn
    Learn
    • For Researchers
    • For Educators
    • National History Day
    • Topical Reference Pages
    • Oral History
    • Research Articles
    • Stamp Collecting
    • One-Minute Wonders
    • Social Media
    • Activities
    Front windows showing stamp images at night
  • Collections
    Collections
    • Search the Collection
    • Collections Search Center
    • Collection History
    • National Postal Museum Archives
    • Donating Collection Objects or Archival Materials
    • Object Loans
    • Collection Projects
    • Object Spotlight
    • Digital Asset Collections
    • Rights and Reproductions
    • Preservation
    • Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns
    People in front of log post office building
  • About
    About
    • About the Museum
    • About Us
    • FAQs
    • Support the Museum
    • Host an Event
    • National Postal Museum Gala
    • Philatelic Achievement Award
    • Contact Us
    • Press
    • Site Map
    Information Desk in the Historic Lobby
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Collections
  • Search the Collection
  • Document box
Click to view social media share links

Document box

Object Details

Provenance
By 1970-1973
Alice Boney Chinese Art, New York, NY method of acquisition unknown [1]
From 1973
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Alice Boney Chinese Art [2]
Notes:
[1] Alice Boney first presented the object to the Freer Gallery of Art on February 21, 1970, see letter from Alice Boney to Harold Stern (1922-1977), Director of Freer Gallery of Art, original in object file. See also invoice from Alice Boney Chinese Art, New York to Freer Gallery of Art, July 1, 1973, copy in object file. In the 1920s, Alice Boney (1901-1988) married Jan Kleykamp (b.1897), an established dealer of Dutch art. After their honeymoon travels, Boney joined her husband in Jan Kleykamp Gallery and the couple became the first dealers in the city of New York to sell Chinese art. After Boney and Kleykamp divorced, Boney established the gallery Alice Boney Chinese Art. She was recognized as a preeminent authority on Chinese art and sold to illustrious clients, including William H. Morris and President Herbert Hoover.
[2] The Freer Gallery of Art purchased the object on July 25, 1973, see Alice Boney Chinese Art invoice, issued July 1, 1973, original in object file.
Research completed November 18, 2022.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)
Previous custodian or owner
Alice Boney (1901-1988)
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Data Source
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Date
17th century
Period
Momoyama or Edo period
Accession Number
F1973.9a-e
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Container
Medium
Lacquer over wood with mother of pearl inlay
Dimensions
H x W x D: 8.2 x 44 x 12.6 cm (3 1/4 x 17 5/16 x 4 15/16 in)
Origin
Ryukyu Islands, Naha, Okinawa prefecture, Japan
Related Online Resources
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Topic
inlay (process)
lacquer
pine tree
Momoyama period (1573 - 1615)
Edo period (1615 - 1868)
bamboo
Japan
Japanese Art
Record ID
fsg_F1973.9a-e
Usage
Not determined
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3397c5705-4fa9-4f81-bd3d-ba926c6f18ef
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Home Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

Our entrance is on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Press
  • Site Map
  • e-News
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Flickr

Have you signed up for our monthly e-newsletter?

Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

Back to Top