A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO) WITH THE FIGURE OF A EUROPEAN

MOMOYAMA-EDO PERIOD (FIRST QUARTER 17TH CENTURY)

Details

A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO) WITH THE FIGURE OF A EUROPEAN
momoyama-edo period (first quarter 17th century)
The slender writing box fitted on the interior with a removable tray holding the inkstone, water dropper and brush, enclosed in a black lacquer and hirame case, which rests on two side supports allowing for a lower storage compartment, both the underside of the lid and this compartment roiro and nashiji and the tray brownish-black lacquer applied with nashiji and hirame and in gold hiramaki-e with a design of rippling water, the mizuire gilt-metal cast with rocks and swirling clouds; the outside of the box designed in gold, silver, red and black lacquer on a reddish-brown ground with the figure of a man in Portuguese dress, the pantaloons patterned with floral latticework in two panels separated by a zig-zag line which contain florets of silver or gold, the jacket gold patterned with diamond reserves and the cape with scrolling line of gold hiramaki-e accented by kimpun against the reddish-brown ground, the inside lid of the box, the ruffled collar and tall hat of the costume silver lacquer, the bevelled edge of the figure panel ornamented with floral scroll in gold hiramaki-e; the outer sides of the box also designed in gold hiramaki-e with floral diamond latticework (kikko-hanabishi) which centers two chevron panels of reddish-brown lacquer on long sides which contain the gilt-metal, diamond-shaped and ring attachments for cords; in wood storage box inscribed Soden, otoko, Tomoharu hako tsukuri (Box made by Tomoharu, a man from a family of boxmakers)
8 3/8 x 2 3/8 x 1¾in. (21.2 x 5.9 x 4.6cm.)

Provenance

Possibly from the collection of a Meiji-period member of the Iwasaki family (seal on the storage box)

Lot Essay

A much-published Momoyama-period letter case (fumibako) that appears to be a near-match in its proportions and design is in the Kobe City Museum. That box measures approximately 20.7 x 8.7 x 4cm. (8 3/8 x 3 3/8 x 1½in.). It too, is decorated on the lid with a large figure of a foreigner wearing a tall, peaked hat, wide collar, short cape and pantaloons tied at the ankle. The figure on the Kobe box faces to our right and raises his hand in a gesture that mirrors that of the figure shown here.

The Kobe box is illustrated in Namban shikki (Sakai: Sakai City Museum, 1983), fig. 63; Shin'ichi Tani and Tadashi Sugase, Namban Art: A Loan Exhibition from Japanese Collections (Washington, D.C.: International Exhibitions Foundation, 1973), fig. 44; Yoshitomo Okamoto, The Namban Art of Japan, trans. Ronald K. Jones (New York/Tokyo: Weatherhill, Heibonsha, 1972), fig. 71; and Kobe shiritsu namban bijutsukan zuroku (Catalogue of the Kobe City Museum of Namban Art), vol. 1 (Kobe: Kobe City Museum of Namban Art, 1968), fig. 38.

The arrival of the Portuguese in the late sixteenth century caused a namban vogue among all strata of Japanese society. Both warriors and merchants enjoyed wearing rosaries, crucifixes and Portuguese clothing. Images of the exotic foreigners were flaunted even on writing boxes, which were not intended for export.