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Lot 71
A GOLD-LACQUER RYŌSHIBAKO (PAPER BOX) AND SUZURIBAKO (BOX FOR WRITING UTENSILS) Meiji (1868-1912) or Taisho (1912-1926) era, early 20th century
14 December 2023, 17:00 EST
New YorkSold for US$5,376 inc. premium
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A GOLD-LACQUER RYŌSHIBAKO (PAPER BOX) AND SUZURIBAKO (BOX FOR WRITING UTENSILS)
Meiji (1868-1912) or Taisho (1912-1926) era, early 20th century
Both with rounded corners, the ryōshibako with an inrōbuta (flush-fitting lid) and the suzuribako with a kabusebuta (overhanging lid), both slightly domed; the exteriors decorated in gold, aokin, and red hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, and togidashi maki-e with embellishments of okibirame gold-foil mosaic against a gold nashiji ground, depicting on the ryōshibako a scene in the garden of an imperial villa, perhaps intended for Prince Genji's Rokujō Mansion in Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji), and on the suzuribako a gissha (courtier's ox-drawn carriage), both scenes with fall foliage; the interiors of the lids decorated predominantly in gold, aokin, and black hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with gold hirame flakes on an overall gold nashiji ground depicting poem cards illustrating the Rokkasen (Six Poetic Geniuses of the ninth century), each with a poem: Ariwara no Narihira, Sōjō Henjō, Fumiya (Bun'ya) no Yasuhide, Ono no Komachi, Kisen Hōshi, and Ōtomo no Kuronushi, the interior of the suzuribako with a dōgu-oki (implement rest) enclosing a suzuri (ink-grinding stone) and a silver and gilt suiteki (water dropper) in the form of a kettle with a swing handle, the rims gold lacquer, unsigned (2)
Ryōshibako: 6 1/8 × 13 1/4 × 16 1/2in (15.4 × 33.8 × 42cm); suzuribako: 1 7/8 × 8 7/8 × 10 1/4in (4.8 × 22.5 × 26cm)
Both with rounded corners, the ryōshibako with an inrōbuta (flush-fitting lid) and the suzuribako with a kabusebuta (overhanging lid), both slightly domed; the exteriors decorated in gold, aokin, and red hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, and togidashi maki-e with embellishments of okibirame gold-foil mosaic against a gold nashiji ground, depicting on the ryōshibako a scene in the garden of an imperial villa, perhaps intended for Prince Genji's Rokujō Mansion in Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji), and on the suzuribako a gissha (courtier's ox-drawn carriage), both scenes with fall foliage; the interiors of the lids decorated predominantly in gold, aokin, and black hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with gold hirame flakes on an overall gold nashiji ground depicting poem cards illustrating the Rokkasen (Six Poetic Geniuses of the ninth century), each with a poem: Ariwara no Narihira, Sōjō Henjō, Fumiya (Bun'ya) no Yasuhide, Ono no Komachi, Kisen Hōshi, and Ōtomo no Kuronushi, the interior of the suzuribako with a dōgu-oki (implement rest) enclosing a suzuri (ink-grinding stone) and a silver and gilt suiteki (water dropper) in the form of a kettle with a swing handle, the rims gold lacquer, unsigned (2)
Ryōshibako: 6 1/8 × 13 1/4 × 16 1/2in (15.4 × 33.8 × 42cm); suzuribako: 1 7/8 × 8 7/8 × 10 1/4in (4.8 × 22.5 × 26cm)
Footnotes
Provenance
Christie's London, November 16, 2000, lot 76
The rich courtly imagery of this lavishly decorated set of boxes is typical of the output of Zōhiko and other workshops, mostly based in Kyoto, that produced lacquer wares for Japan's emerging industrial elite with a taste for imagery that evoked the splendors of the country's imperial past.