| Description |
As there are rectangular box-shaped containers like this piece that store oil pots and covered boxes, this work is also thought to have been used for storing cosmetic utensils. In the center of the lid bears a quadrilobed panel, which has a circle in the center enclosing a pair of phoenixes, and the four corners are decorated with clouds and cranes. The whole decoration is bordered with stringed pearls. The lid and sides have bands of lotus petals combined with the stringed pearls. During the 13th century, phoenix motifs began to be used frequently and the motifs in general began to be expressed in a minute, schematic manner. Meanwhile, the underside of the lid bears a single lotus flower depicted with thin lines, leaving ample space. It is covered with celadon glaze, producing a beautiful grayish blue-green color. The flat base is fully glazed, leaving sixteen quartz spur marks. |
