1st Dec, 2023 13:00

Fine Japanese Art

 
Lot 10
 

10

A RARE INLAID LACQUER BOX AND COVER WITH SEVEN KOGO (INCENSE BOX) FOR THE INCENSE-MATCHING GAME

Sold for €4,940

including Buyer's Premium


Lot details

Japan, 19th century

Each of circular form and bearing a gyobu nashiji ground richly decorated in iro-e takamaki-e with some details in hiramaki-e, e-nashiji, and kirikane, the interiors and bases of rich nashiji with gold fundame edges. The top of the cover to the larger box further decorated in gold takazogan with Jurojin and a crane, the lucky god holding a tall staff with a gourd attached on top in one hand and a fan in the other, standing beside a flowering prunus tree with buds and blossoms in coral and silver lacquer. The smaller boxes with various treasures including tama jewels, coral, shippo, tassels, a fan, and a mallet. The larger box with a central circular aperture to the base.

DIAMETER 10 cm (the larger box) and 3 cm (each of the smaller boxes)

Condition: Good condition with minor surface wear as well as few minuscule nicks and tiny losses here and there. The cover of the larger box with a repaired chip.
Provenance: From a private collection in Bern, Switzerland.

The present set was used for the incense matching game. Like the Way of Tea and flower arrangement, the enjoyment of incense had developed into a complex pastime by the Edo period and had a large following during the seventeenth century. The various games involve guessing a fragrance from among more than 2,000 varieties, matching fragrances, and blending incenses to suggest certain moods.

Auction comparison:
Compare a related set with similar metal inlays at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 27 May 2022, Vienna, lot 120 (sold for EUR 5,056).

 

Japan, 19th century

Each of circular form and bearing a gyobu nashiji ground richly decorated in iro-e takamaki-e with some details in hiramaki-e, e-nashiji, and kirikane, the interiors and bases of rich nashiji with gold fundame edges. The top of the cover to the larger box further decorated in gold takazogan with Jurojin and a crane, the lucky god holding a tall staff with a gourd attached on top in one hand and a fan in the other, standing beside a flowering prunus tree with buds and blossoms in coral and silver lacquer. The smaller boxes with various treasures including tama jewels, coral, shippo, tassels, a fan, and a mallet. The larger box with a central circular aperture to the base.

DIAMETER 10 cm (the larger box) and 3 cm (each of the smaller boxes)

Condition: Good condition with minor surface wear as well as few minuscule nicks and tiny losses here and there. The cover of the larger box with a repaired chip.
Provenance: From a private collection in Bern, Switzerland.

The present set was used for the incense matching game. Like the Way of Tea and flower arrangement, the enjoyment of incense had developed into a complex pastime by the Edo period and had a large following during the seventeenth century. The various games involve guessing a fragrance from among more than 2,000 varieties, matching fragrances, and blending incenses to suggest certain moods.

Auction comparison:
Compare a related set with similar metal inlays at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 27 May 2022, Vienna, lot 120 (sold for EUR 5,056).

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