Lidded Food Serving Container with Tray

Plum flower shape, Pavilion and Landscape Design
China, Ming dynasty, 15-16th c.

Jikiro refer to lidded food serving containers, many of which came from China in the Muromachi period. These ornate Chinese food boxes were made using techniques such as carved lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay and were highly prized as alcove decoration. Mother-of-pearl inlay (Raden) is a decorative technique used for lacquer ware, in which designs and patterns are created from turban shell, abalone, and other luminescent pearl-like shells.