r/ArtefactPorn

In second-century BC Egypt, teenage twins Tawe and Taous were left destitute when their stepmother and her lover, Phillips, drove their father to his death and stole the twins' inheritance. The twins were kicked out of the house by the stepmother, who hoped that they would die from starvation on the streets.

Their father's friend, Ptolemaios, secured them a job at the temple “Serapeum”. They were supposed to impersonate sister goddesses Isis and Nephtys at Apis bull rituals, and were legally entitled to rations of oil and money in exchange. However their half-brother (son of the stepmother) tricked them and stole their savings.

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>To King Ptolemy and his sister Queen Kleopatra, the mother-loving gods:

>Greetings from Tawe and Taous. We are twin sisters who serve at the great Serapeum in Memphis, where we pour sacred offerings to the god Osorapis on behalf of you and your children.

>We have come to you seeking justice because we have been deeply wronged by Nephoris and her son, Pachrates.

>After Nephoris left our father, she moved in with a man from Memphis named Philippos. Showing no shame for her actions, she began to plot against our father. During a time of local unrest, she – full of suspicion – ordered Philippos to kill our father. He waited in ambush by the door of our father's house, which was located near the river in the Egyptian Market.

>When our father came outside, he spotted Philippos, who grabbed a knife and chased after him. Our father's house is near the river; he plunged into the river where he was rescued by a passing boat.

>Too terrified to return home, he fled to the Herakleopolite district. Separated from us, our father eventually died of grief. Although his brothers traveled by boat to retrieve his body and brought him back to the Memphis burial grounds, Nephoris has not troubled to give him a burial.

>Our father's possessions had previously been confiscated by the state, but Nephoris managed to buy them back. She did this by selling half of a house that legally belongs to both her and us for 7 bronze talents. Furthermore, she seized property worth 60 bronze talents and is currently collecting 1,400 bronze drachmas a month in rent from tenants. She has not shared a single coin of this with us.

>Not satisfied with taking everything, she has thrown us out on the streets, so that we will perish from starvation.

>Fortunately, we found Ptolemaios, a religious recluse at the great Serapeum and an old friend of our father. We approached him for help, and he took it upon himself to feed us. Later, when the sacred Apis bull died, we were brought in to perform the ceremonial mourning for the god.

>Following this, friends of our mother convinced us to hire her son, Pachrates, as our attendant. Once employed, he simply waited for the right opportunity to betray us. He stole our official written token—which we use to claim our royal yearly allowance of oil from the distributors—and secretly claimed the ration for himself. He also plundered what little bronze money and other belongings we had before fleeing back to his mother. Because of him, we are once again completely destitute and lack basic necessities.

>We humbly beg you to forward our petition to Dionysios, the King's friend and general. We ask that he instruct Apollonios the financial overseer and Dorion the royal scribe to immediately stop giving our rightful rations of oil and castor oil to Nephoris. Furthermore, we ask that Dionysios compel Nephoris to return all of our father's property that she is holding illegally, so that we may be saved through your intervention.

>May you prosper.

(Fair warning: This is a deep dive! I love documenting the details of each item, the thrill of the hunt, and my reasons for collecting them. I am mapping everything out now because this writing will serve as the script for my future videos. Rest assured, I’m a real person sharing a real passion—not an AI bot.)

Hello everyone!

Following up on my recent threads, today I want to share my 35th collection post, focusing on a group of intimate, functional items: covered boxes and lidded jars.

The Evolution of My Collection

For those who have been following my posts, you know my obsession with teapots and Totai Shippo (cloisonné on porcelain) branched off 28 years ago due to a fortunate car breakdown. However, my foundational love for Japanese cloisonné actually began 34 years ago.

It all started when my wife and I stumbled into an antique store and were completely spellbound by a Japanese cloisonné vase. The absolute beauty, precision, and artistry of that single piece sparked a lifelong passion. Over the last three decades, that initial spark has led us to curate a collection of more than 40 pieces, spanning various sizes, shapes, materials, colors, and functions.

Bringing Luxury to the Desk and Vanity

This brings us to today's beautiful subset of vanity and desk vessels. These objects brought the luxury of cloisonné (Shippo) directly onto the vanity tables, writing desks, and dressing areas of the Meiji and Victorian eras.

If you read my 33rd collection thread on Totai cloisonné, you will recognize two of the pieces in this family portrait: the small, dark-green round box and the light-blue patterned box. Because they are functional boxes as well as Totai ware, I wanted to include them here to show how they fit into the broader narrative of lidded vessels.

In this group, you can see how Meiji artisans pushed boundaries with different geometries, materials, and background textures:

1. The Gothic Arched Casket (Top Left)

This rectangular box is an absolute standout. It utilizes sharp geometric framing, featuring arched ogival panels (resembling Gothic church windows) that segment individual floral sprays and butterflies against a dark background. This dense panel work gives the piece the heavy, luxurious look of a medieval jeweled chest tailored for the Western market.

2. The Large Turquoise Covered Box with Peach Finial (Top Right - Totsi Shippo)

This round, bulbous covered box with peach finial (Kogo) serves as a magnificent centerpiece. The entire body is blanketed in a vibrant turquoise ground filled with a dense, repeating cloud-scroll pattern. The crown jewel is the lid, featuring an elegantly sculpted finial shaped like a peach knob—a universal symbol of peace and longevity.

3. The Flat Green Compact (Bottom Left - Totai Shippo)

This small, dark green circular box features delicate floral sprays on the lid and a dotted border. It is a wonderful example of early-to-mid Meiji experimentation with cloisonné on a porcelain body.

4. The Material Fusion Round Box (Bottom Center)

Sitting right in the center is a low, round tripod box that beautifully mirrors the technique of my finest teapots. The shoulder features a heavy concentration of shimmering Aventurine glass (Goldstone), creating a starry, glittering contrast against the intricate blue and brown floral scroll panels below.

5. The Sky Blue Round Box (Bottom Right - Totai Shippo Pair)

Decorated with floating butterflies and traditional geometric borders, its tight patterns prove that craftsmen didn’t cut corners just because a vessel was compact.

My Collecting Rule of Thumb: The Power of Variety

When you look at this new group of lidded boxes alongside my previous teapot and Totai collections, my core philosophy becomes clear: Never collect the same item twice. Instead, chase maximum variety.

By following this rule, this collection deliberately covers every possible variable:

The Shapes: Shifting from sharp, architectural rectangles to perfectly smooth, low rounds.

The Scales: Spanning from heavy, large statement pieces down to delicate, palm-sized miniatures.

The Handles & Lids: Moving from flat, flush lids to high domes, complex spouts, and overhead handles.

The Materials & Colors: Contrasting delicate Totai porcelain bases with heavy metal foundations, using backgrounds that range from midnight black to vibrant turquoise.

Why do this?

Because a varied collection turns a simple hobby into a living historical archive. It highlights the incredible versatility of Japanese master enamelers. Firing glass onto a flat surface is difficult, but wrapping wires and flowing enamel across a curved teapot spout, a square corner, or a miniature box lid requires absolute genius. Grouping these contrasting pieces together tells the complete, engaging story of artistic evolution!

Market Insights & Lessons Learned Along the Way

For fellow hobbyists looking to get into Japanese cloisonné, small vanity boxes and covered jars remain an incredible, highly accessible entry point. While masterwork presentation vases can easily fetch thousands of dollars, beautiful, unsigned pieces like these can regularly be found at antique shops, estate sales, or online auctions for between $30 to $250, depending on condition and enamel complexity.

Even after 34 years, my Japanese cloisonné collection is still missing two major types: wireless cloisonné (Musen Shippo) and Plique-à-jour (Shotai Shippo).

I do own a pair of Chinese plique-à-jour ducks, but I had never encountered a Japanese example until recently. After sharing my duck collection, another collector reached out to tell me they collect Japanese plique-à-jour vases and bowls, so I hope to acquire one in the near future!

The search for a wireless piece also led to a funny (and slightly disappointing) collecting story. I saw a vase on eBay listed simply as "cloisonné" that looked exactly like wireless work. Since I had never owned a piece before, it was hard to confirm from the pictures alone. I even asked an AI tool, which assured me it was wireless cloisonné! Excited by the great price, I bought it immediately. When it arrived, I discovered it wasn't cloisonné at all—it was a porcelain vase painted to look like it. It was a classic collecting misstep, but those little surprises and learning moments are all part of the fun of the journey.

If you love my collection and like to see the fake wireless vase I mistakenly bought, please keep an eye out for my upcoming 36th Collection post! In that thread, I will be showcasing my 10 genuine Japanese cloisonné vases right alongside this fake wireless one to break down the differences up close.

I would love to hear your thoughts! When you make a series of collections, do you have a rule of thumb?

>It is sadness and suffering for the soul to hear the voice of this dreadful man when he sings. He is truly a deplorable singer, and he only sings well-known songs.

>He goes to the temple when he should not, and makes the god hear what they hate.

>How does he present himself at a festival? Like the best in his art. He sits down, looking very important, like a real singer, and he lifts the harp to sing, thinking in his mind, he is a virtuoso.

>No one realises that he is a huge fool because his stupidity overwhelms the public. He sings in a shrill voice,  even when his mouth proclaims his own glory. Whoever sees him singing is afflicted for the day.

>There is no need for many words, because he has all the faults. Who taught him to play the harp?  From whom did he learn to sing? His interpretation is jerky because his usual task is digging, his skill is watering. His fingers are like gnarled wood, they are not made for a harp.

>His voice makes more noise than a heavy shovel. He has innumerable faults,more than in the songs of Busiris.

>Isheru's mistress became angry with him - the great Sekhmet. He is overcome by her plague,  he is overpowered by her anger.  So he will never again carry his harp before the mistress of Egypt.

>In his old age he is full of horror, he is oppressed by filth. Horus is very angry with him; he is going to get killed by the son of Isis.

>He was given the name Horudja  even though "Arsehole" is the name that suits him.

>A great song for the temple of Mut, an adoration for the mistress of Egypt,  it is a true masterpiece whose meaning he manages to pervert.

>We would have said: "He acts out of ignorance", and no reproach would reach him for that. But he has only silence from doctrine, he draws no benefit from the words.

>In fact, he has learned but he knows nothing, he has received teaching but does not retain it. Like a mute person who understands but cannot answer correctly.

>Like a fool who takes up a book and remains dumb in front of all the texts. He has not known any song except one since his birth : "I'm hungry! Give me a drink! • What is there to eat?" What about the one who cooks • in front of him, if he sees meat?

>He is quicker than a fly to blood, faster than a vulture which has seen carrion.

>He will be able to spend four days awake  looking for some food that is hidden. If someone shouts to him: "Meat!" in a loathsome place, he is present, with harp in front, but he does not . . . a man who is dirtier than his neighbour.

>And whoever displays bread and meat to him, he will go to his house without being invited. And he will say to the venues: I cannot sing if I am hungry.

>I cannot raise my harp to play unless I have had my fill of wine. Order it! And he drinks wine for two, eats meat for three: food for five in all.

> But the harp weighs down on him, like an uncomfortable burden. So that every person must be made to say, three times each: "Sing!"

>If he starts to raise his harp when drunk, then all of his vices comes to light.

>He turns the harp with his hand, he sings again 'The faults of women'. When he begins to raise the tune, his mouth sings his glory. But what he sings does not match his playing; his voice and harp are discordant.

>His poor performance shows his disregard of the music. The gentleness of good manners, he has not even begun to understand it.

>He cannot be accepted anywhere because of the number of his faults. If he is full, he puts away the harp; if he is replete, he leaves.

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>I would mention the misdeeds he committed, but they are more numerous than those of Seth. He went in a funeral procession to the West last year, from Psonis to Akhmim.

>He acted as a sacrificer,  but I cannot say what he did there: "It's not even worth talking about," as they say to make their meaning clear. He declared the animals good for sacrifice, even those protected by the god . . .

>He disregarded the seal that sanctified the animals . . . and he ignored even the supervising priest. And then, whatever was brought to him on the block, he stabbed . . . with a knife. And he was the first to eat the meat . . . without knowing how to cook it.

Mummy portrait of a strikingly modern-looking male subject from Roman Egypt, Flavian Period, circa late 1st century AD, sold at Sotheby's in January 2026 for $889,000

Located at the Tomb of Khải Định (陵啓定), the life-sized bronze statue of the Emperor was cast in Marseille, France, in 1920 by artists P. Ducuing and F. Barbedienne. The ceiling above features the "Nine Dragons in the Clouds" fresco, painted by artist Phan Văn Tánh. Remarkably, he painted the mural using his feet and mouth to hold the brushes while suspended upside down on scaffolding. The Emperor’s actual body is interred 9 meters directly beneath the statue.

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