Vase with Japanese Scenes in Shells

Description During the Edo period in Japan (1615-1868), the shell-matching game ("kai awase") was popular among women. It involved matching shells that had been painted with scenes from the 9th-century classical novel "The Tale of Genji." This vase has been decorated with such shells.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
2/04/1982	Treatment	surface cleaned

Exhibitions

• 3000 Years of Glass: Treasures from The Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1982.

Provenance William T. / Henry Walters Collection, Baltimore; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by William T. Walters