A hira-natsume by Park Young-hee (朴栄熙) — the entire surface an unbroken field of iridescent shell, cranes ascending through lotus and chrysanthemum, geometric fretwork held in dark lacquer. This is najeon chilgi: Korean mother-of-pearl inlay lacquerwork, one of the most technically demanding traditions in East Asian craft.
To hold this piece is to understand why museums collect it. The shell fragments — cut, shaped, and set individually into the lacquer ground — catch light differently at every angle. Cranes move through the surface. Flowers open and close depending on how you hold it. The geometric border patterns resolve into clarity only up close.
Park Young-hee is a practitioner of Korean najeon chilgi, a lacquer tradition that developed on the Korean peninsula with distinct characteristics: deeper relief inlay, a preference for bold figurative motifs alongside fine geometric patterning, and the particular luminosity achieved through the combination of Korean abalone shell and lacquer ground. The dimensions — 8.6cm diameter, 6cm height — place this in the hira-natsume (flat caddy) form, lower and wider than the standard o-natsume, used for certain gatherings and seasonal occasions.
Cranes (鶴, tsuru / 학, hak) carry longevity across both Japanese and Korean symbolic registers. Lotus speaks to purity emerging from difficulty. The chrysanthemum is simultaneously the imperial seal and the autumn witness. Together they form a composition that is not decorative but declarative.
Shared wooden box and cloth included. Condition: museum-grade.
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