Mirror case (?) of imperial provenance

Tang dynasty
China, from the Shoso-in collection (?), Japan, 700–800
Wood, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, amber
Louvre Abu Dhabi
LAD 2009.022|Diam. 38.5 cm

This wooden box, decorated with slivers of tortoiseshell and inlaid with painted amber beads, comes from one of the most brilliant periods of Chinese civilisation, during the Tang dynasty. The dynasty, which reigned between the 7th and 10th centuries, corresponded to a veritable golden age in the arts. The decorative repertoire is reminiscent of the art of the Persian Sassanid empire, with which the Chinese empire had a relationship.