MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)

Details

A LACQUER ACCESSORY BOX (TEBAKO)
MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)
The deep, rectangular box with rounded corners intricately decorated in gold, silver and black hiramaki-e and togidashi-e with details in kimpun, kirikane and aogai, with the Buddhist deity Mahamayuri (Kujaku Myo-o, the Peacock Shining King) seated on the back of a peacock, its tail forming a large feather halo behind the deity; the peacock stands upon a lotus plant within a lotus pond; the interior and underside in rich nashiji, silver and fundame rims
11 ¾ x 9 3/8 x 6 ¼ in. (30 x 23.8 x 15.8 cm.)

Provenance

Yamanaka & Co., London, V663 (label to inside cover).

Literature

Eskenazi Ltd., Japanese Inro and Lacquer-ware from a Private Swedish Collection, London, 1996, no. 82, pp. 94-95.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Takaaki Murakami

tmurakami@christies.com +1 212 636 2160

Lot Essay

The only Guardian King to have a serene and graceful appearance, Kujaku Myo-o is believed to ward off disaster and bring relief from drought. Here the deity is depicted holding two peacock feathers and a Buddhist jewel. The lotuses are rendered in a manner remenicient of early Buddhist lacquers.

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