拍品專文
Although this lot is now fitted with four short legs, its shape makes it unlikely that it was originally a tray; it was more probably a panel in an export lacquer box or cabinet associated with the group of very high quality pieces introduced by Joe Earle in 1982 [see 1 below], the majority of them dating from the 1630's. Several of these pieces follow Chinese Ming dynasty lacquer design in taking ceremonial arrivals and departures as their main subject matter, although the actual motifs used are mostly drawn from Japanese paintings of the Genji monogatari [Tale of Genji] [see 2 below]. In many cases the scene shown can be identified with an episode or chapter, but here the design of an ushiguruma [courtier's ox-drawn carriage] approaching a palace building alludes more generally to the world of the Tale as a whole.
1 Earle, Joe, "Genji Meets Yang Guifei: A Group of Japanese Export Lacquers", Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 47 (1982-3), 45-75
2 Murase, Miyeko, Iconography of the Tale of Genji: Genji Monogatari Ekotoba (New York and Tokyo, 1983)
1 Earle, Joe, "Genji Meets Yang Guifei: A Group of Japanese Export Lacquers", Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 47 (1982-3), 45-75
2 Murase, Miyeko, Iconography of the Tale of Genji: Genji Monogatari Ekotoba (New York and Tokyo, 1983)