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Writing Table with Pine, Bamboo, and Plum
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Writing Table with Pine, Bamboo, and Plum

1400s · Lacquered wood with gold and silver sprinkled powder (maki-e) and metal fittings

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Low writing tables like this one were developed for use by those seated on the floor. They often had matching writing boxes. The table features the classic design of pine, bamboo, and plum, known together as the Three Friends of Winter. Indicating resilience in the face of harsh conditions, pine is evergreen, bamboo bends but does not break, and plum is the first flower to bloom in early spring. The plants are a metaphor for strength of character.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineWriting Table with Pine, Bamboo, and Plum (松竹梅文蒔絵文台), 1400s. Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573). Lacquered wood with gold and silver sprinkled powder (maki-e) and metal fittings; height: 10.2 cm (4 in.); width: 58.4 cm (23 in.); depth: 36.9 cm (14 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund, 1958.429

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