Japan, 18^th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Of oval section, formed from clear-lacquered cherry-bark, stitched at both edges. One side worked in gold takamaki-e with aogai kirigane flakes, depicting a parasol and an eboshi hat beneath a willow tree, the other side with calligraphy referring to Ono no Tofu.

Condition: Very good condition with minor wear to lacquer and typical losses to outer layer of the cherry bark. Few tiny nicks. Presenting beautifully.
Provenance: Ex-collection Claudio Perino, a collector with a keen interest in Japanese, Chinese and Far Eastern cultures. His collection consists of over 2000 works of art, partly loaned to the Museum of Oriental Arts (MAO) in Turin, Italy and to the Museo delle Culture (MUSEC) in Lugano, Switzerland. An exhibition of Kakemono scroll paintings was on view in the MUSEC until end of April 2021. The interior with an old collection number.

HEIGHT 7.7 cm

Japanese mountain cherry, Yamazakura, is a wild species which has a strong vitality and bark that regenerates after being carefully stripped. The collected bark is dried for more than three years before it is whittled and polished by hand, cut to the appropriate shape, and glued to the surface of a wooden base using nikawa animal glue. Other techniques entail carving pre-assembled layers of cherry bark into small shapes and polishing them for jewelry and other uses.