Box with camellia, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), 14th century. Carved red and green lacquer.H. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm); Diam. 4 in. (10.2 cm). Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891, 91.1.666 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The stylized flowers depicted in Chinese lacquer are often difficult to identify precisely. However, the large blossom on this box is probably a camellia, a flower associated with winter and endurance. This box is one of several, most found in Japan, which bear the name Zhang Cheng (here, carved into the base). He is one of only two fourteenth-century lacquer artists whose names are recorded.