Medicine Box

Ginko wood
19th century
16.3 x 12.7 x 25.3(h) cm

This is a small medicine box used by physicians when visiting the king, carrying a few simple medicinal herbs and acupuncture tools. A handle is attached to the top, with hinges on one side and a locking mechanism on the other. Typically, handles are also installed where the lock is, but this medicine box is doubly secured by fitting one end of the top handle into a groove on the opposite side and locking it with a side hook-shaped latch. Both the front and rear faces of the medicine cabinet are carved with motifs of longevity; one side depicts a crane stretching tall on a rock above a pine tree and reaching down towards the Ganoderma lucidum (a type of mushroom known for its longevity properties), and the other side shows a deer frolicking under the shade of a pine tree. These motifs symbolize the wish for immortality and longevity. This small medicine box embodies the hopes of patients who received treatment from the physician, wishing for the medicines within to heal them and grant them a long life.