Lot 7*
Artist Unknown 作者不詳 KOBAKO (SMALL BOX) WITH CHEQUER GROUND AND FLOWER ROUNDELS 市松地花丸図蒔絵小箱 Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), second half of the nineteenth century
5 November 2014, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £15,000 inc. premium
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Artist Unknown 作者不詳 KOBAKO (SMALL BOX) WITH CHEQUER GROUND AND FLOWER ROUNDELS 市松地花丸図蒔絵小箱
Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), second half of the nineteenth century
A four-lobed box with overhanging lid, the wood body densely decorated on all its surfaces, the exterior of both lid and box with a fine chequer pattern in gold kirigane and black lacquer, overlaid with a variety of roundels including stylized cranes and seasonal plants: cherry, peony, nadeshiko (fringed pinks), chrysanthemums, maple leaves, kikyō (Chinese bellflower), iris, lilies, and ominaeshi (valerian), the base of the box and the interior of box and lid with a dense informal pattern of shinobu (hare's-foot fern), these designs executed in gold, aokin, and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e, kinpun, and other techniques, the rims of box and lid lined with silver
Unsigned
4 × 10.8 × 10.5 cm (1½ × 4¼ × 4 1/8 in.)
With wooden storage box
(3).
A four-lobed box with overhanging lid, the wood body densely decorated on all its surfaces, the exterior of both lid and box with a fine chequer pattern in gold kirigane and black lacquer, overlaid with a variety of roundels including stylized cranes and seasonal plants: cherry, peony, nadeshiko (fringed pinks), chrysanthemums, maple leaves, kikyō (Chinese bellflower), iris, lilies, and ominaeshi (valerian), the base of the box and the interior of box and lid with a dense informal pattern of shinobu (hare's-foot fern), these designs executed in gold, aokin, and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e, kinpun, and other techniques, the rims of box and lid lined with silver
Unsigned
4 × 10.8 × 10.5 cm (1½ × 4¼ × 4 1/8 in.)
With wooden storage box
(3).
Footnotes
The shinobu (hare's-foot fern) has been a favourite with Japanese lacquerers for centuries, thanks not just to its elegant appearance but also to the fact that the word shinobu also means 'to long for' and can be linked to a number of classical love poems.
