Warring States Period lacquer box decorated with the earliest serial narrative art in China

Check out this lacquer dressing case dating from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC)! A lacquer painting covers the entire outer walls of the case, depicting a traveling scene of people, carriages and horses with diverse colors including yellow, orange, blue and brown.

Five swaying willow trees divide the painting into five sections. The first and second sections portray the traveling scene. In the third section, only a dog and a pig are depicted, leaping and running, adding vitality to the entire painting. The fourth and fifth sections show the guest-greeting scene. When spread, it represents an 87.4 centimeter long illustrated story (lianhuanhua) of that period.

Unearthed from an aristocratic tomb of the Chu State in Jingmen, Hubei province, in 1987, the lacquer case is a good example of the superb craftsmanship of Chu lacquerware. It is a treasure in the permanent collection of the Hubei Provincial Museum.