Edo period (18th century)

Details

A Lacquer Fubako [Letter Box]
Edo period (18th century)
The rectangular box with rounded corners and overhanging cover cut away above the cord attachments, decorated overall in gold hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, hirame, togidashi and cut gold foil on a nashiji ground and inlaid in silver with large calligraphic characters from part of the kanajo [preface] of the Kokin Wakashu [Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse], among curved branches of a plum tree on a river bank, the design continuing onto the sides, nashiji interior, the cord ring attachments in silver with aoi-mon on a gilt nanako ground
43cm. long

Provenance

Spink and Son Ltd., London

Literature

Spink and Son Ltd., Japanese Inro and Lacquer, (London, 1984), no. 46.

Exhibited

Spink and Son Ltd., London, 23 October - 4 November 1984

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Christine Bowie

cbowie@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3178

Lot Essay

The decoration of this box illustrates a part of kanajo [preface] of the Kokin Wakashu also known as Kokinshu [Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse] by Ki no Tsurayuki (872-945). The five characters of naku [sing], uguisu [nightingale], sumu [dwell], kawazu [frog] and koe [voice] are actually inlaid and the blossoming plum and water are rendered in pictorial form in various lacquer techniques on the cover. This combination of calligraphy and image recreate part of the sentence:

Hana ni naku uguisu, mizu ni sumu kawazu no koe o kikeba, ikitoshi ikeru mono, izureka, uta o yomazarikeru

How could all the living creatures refrain from making poems when we hear nightingales singing among the blossoms and the voices of frogs that dwell in the water?

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