Chinese Wood Box

Nearly black, glossy and corrugated, like a polished drainpipe with ambitions.

This lacquered bamboo box is from China, and dates to the 20th century. Lacquer is made from the sap of the lacquer tree and, once cured, forms a hard and water-resistant coating that has been used in East Asia for thousands of years. A straight cylinder with broad, rounded ribs separated by narrow grooves and a few fine incised lines. The surface is a deep, mirror-bright black with hints of brown at the edges of each band. The mouth is wide and a bit uneven. It is 10.75 inches high and 4.5 in diameter.

Dark, shiny and not remotely trying to blend in.