A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO)

MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)

Details

A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO)
meiji period (late 19th century)
Of rectangular shape with canted corners decorated on the cover with a large roundel of the Six Immortal Poets (Rokkasen) within a border of floral diamond latticework (kikko-hanabishi) continued on the sides, the roundel lacquered in iro-e togidashi and the lattice in gold and silver hiramaki-e on a roiro ground, the underside of the cover designed with a cloth banner attached to a pole which is patterned with gold and silver togidashi chrysanthemum medallions of different varieties and sizes on a gold ground, the sky area nashiji; fitted with an inkstone and silver mizuire fashioned as a floral lozenge separated into two parts, a water container and hinged brush washer, grounds of the trays nashiji, lower interior roiro and nashiji, base of the box roiro-nuri
8¼ x 7½ x 1¼in. (20.8 x 19.1 x 3cm.)

Lot Essay

The Six Poetic Sages were designated by name in the prefaces to the Kokinshu, the first imperial anthology of Japanese poetry, compiled in 905. Two of the six, Ariwara no Narihira and Ono no Komachi, a woman, are among Japan's greatest poets. The other four, Bishop Henjo, Fun'ya (or Bun'ya) no Yasuhide, Otomo no Kuronushi, and the monk Kisen are competent court poets of the ninth century. Here they are treated with some humor, tightly grouped as though in conference.