Yuki Hayama
Memory Box: Imperial Gift of an Iznik Blue II
Ceramics
H2 1/8 x W3 5/8 in
H5.3 x W9.2 cm
H5.3 x W9.2 cm
C21993
Further images
The tradition of beautiful blue that started from the Cretan civilization on the northern Mediterranean coast was passed on from Greece to Turkey, and then to Russia and Scandinavia, producing an exceptionally beautiful set of patterns afrer being integrated with the wealth of the Russian imperial family in the early modern era. This ceramic box is a combination of the qinghua (blue flower) reminiscent of the deep, quiet forests of Scandinavia, and the golden patterns invented by a genius Russian court designer. Shima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian vividly depicts a famous scene where a box containing a map is presented to Qin Shi Huang. Inside this Memo
