Paired Kaioke (Shell Game) Octagonal Boxes, with Clamshell Paintings
Japan, unknown artist, Paired Kaioke (Shell Game) Octagonal Boxes, with Clamshell Paintings, late 18th/mid 19th century, Kaioke boxes: turned wood with black lacquer and gold maki-e decoration; clamshells painted with mineral pigments and gold, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Goldsmith, public domain, 2008.79
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- Title
Paired Kaioke (Shell Game) Octagonal Boxes, with Clamshell Paintings
- Related Titles
descriptive: Shell game with lacquer container
original language: 貝桶
- Artist
- Date
late 18th/mid 19th century
- Period
Japan: Edo period (1615-1868)
- Medium
Kaioke boxes: turned wood with black lacquer and gold maki-e decoration; clamshells painted with mineral pigments and gold
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
18 in x 14 5/16 in
- Collection Area
Asian Art
- Category
Lacquerware
- Object Type
box
shell
painting
- Culture
Japanese
- Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Goldsmith
- Accession Number
2008.79
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
Shell-matching games had been popular among noblewomen of Japan as far back as the tenth century. Identical scenes were painted on the two halves of 90 clamshells. The shells would be spread out on the floor, face up. The goal was to be first to find and collect matching pairs—but there was a catch: to claim a shell and its lid, one had to compose a short, appropriate poem.
Because each shell has only one lid, shell-matching became associated with a woman’s fidelity to her husband. During the Edo period (1615–1868), shell game sets became a favorite item among high-ranking families for bridal trousseaus. This set is a typical example of shell game sets of the eighteenth century.
The shells are kept in a pair of octagonal boxes of lacquered wood, known as kai oke (“shell buckets”). This example is decorated with wisteria vines and family crests in gold inlay, and rest on a custom-designed stand.
