JIAQING SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1796-1820)

The seal on the underside of the Japanese wood box cover appears to mention the name Sekiken-an, which is the pseudonym of the collector Matsumoto Matsuzou (1870-1936), a successful businessman who was appointed as the president of one of the major railway companies at the time, Kyushu Denki Kidou. 770 items from his collection were sold between 1933 – 1934 at Osaka Bijutsu Club and Tokyo Bijutsu Club, and several of them were subsequently designated National Treasures or Important Cultural Relics.