"Every curio box is well designed and full of interest. In the process of opening and closing a curio box, one can enjoy the same feelings as when playing a hide and seek game. One may find a new surprise every time it is played." -CCITimes.com
The first time I visited Taiwan I was awestruck by an exhibit at the National Palace Museum in Taipei City called The Emperor's Toy Chests. The exhibit was a room full of curio cabinets from the 15-18th centuries. Each curio cabinet was a unique and fascinating piece of craftsmanship containing between 12 and 92 drawers each... many of which were hidden behind revolving doors and in secret spaces. Inside every drawer was a tiny treasure.. a carved ivory elephant, a cloisonné perfume bottle, a tiny watercolor painting, a gold and pearl necklace, an embroidered coat clasp... Each item was precious and beautiful and made by hand.
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| Emperor's Curio Boxes (see www.chinaculture.org) |
I imagined the person who received the chest of treasures, opening the many drawers and admiring the lovely things inside... and I imagined the many craftspersons who created the beautiful objects... I know the feeling of creating something beautiful for others.. imagining how it will be used, imagining the "life" of the object.. I have tried to recreate that
gathering up of handcrafted beauty several times.. and again with this week's Book of the Week,
The Emperor's Toy Chest.
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| Doorway |
A round brass button and a jade green satin ribbon allude to the wealth and opulence of the Qing Dynasty when the emperor's toy chests were created. The cover reminds me of the doorway leading into a royal palace. The emerald green paste paper cover reinforces the richness and variety of jade.. a lucky stone in asian culture.
And my
Emperor's Toy Chest opens into an accordion book of pockets... filled with treasures and labeled with fortunes.
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| Inside The Emperor's Toy Chest |
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| Page 1, a tiny book of handmade paper; Page 2, pieces of mica |
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| Page 3, Mother of pearl carved heart; Page 4, print of Grandma Sadie on her wedding day |
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| Page 5, Copper enamel 'love, love'; Page 6, dried pansy |
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| Last Page watercolor painting and its Fortune |
The back side of the book has the same number of pockets as the inside, but these pockets are empty.. for treasures that come along... a sort of "activity book" for collecting small (flat-ish) objects of beauty...
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| Back side... an accordion of colored pockets to fill... |
It touches your imagination, yes?
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| Unfolding... |
What would you put in your own Emperor's Toy Chest?
Kathy
