Box with birds, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Jiajing emperor (1522-1566), China, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze-blue decoration., qinghua ware. H. 1 1/8 in x Diam. 4 in, H. 2.9 cm x Diam. 10.2 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1710.a-.b. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

A pair of phoenixes are set in the center of this work amid cloud buds and bordered by five cranes on both sides. The lid and box are painted in a bright purplish tonality. Various boxes in rectangular, square, round, or other multi-sided shapes were produced for storing seal-ink, cosmetics, or candies. They increased in size during the Jiajing period; some have been found as large as 38 cm in diameter. Dragons, phoenixes, and cranes—often amidst in flowers—commonly adorned these boxes. The appearance of phoenixes here suggests that the piece was used for cosmetic material.