17th Century Lacquer

Magnificent box Imperial jewelry box in black lacquered wood decorated with dragons. This wonderful box is lacquered on a black background with patt...

A Rare Negoro Lacquer Buddhist Stand This rare and historic Negoro lacquer Buddhist stand is a beautiful example of Japanese craftsmanship. It is made of wood with Negoro-style lacq...

A highly important Japanese export lacquer cabinet with depiction of the Dutch East India Company tradepost Deshima and the annual Dutch delegation on its way to the Shogun in Edo Edo period, circa 1660-1680 H. 88 x W. 100.5 x D. 54 cm This cabinet includes a later European japanned stand, but also a modern powder-coated steel frame. The latter can be designed and added to your specific needs. The sides and front of the rectangular two-door cabinet are embellished in gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e on a black roiro lacquer ground with a continuous design. The two doors depict a long procession of numerous figures travelling on foot and horseback along buildings and a pagoda into a mountainous landscape. This is the annual court journey, Hofreis, of the Dutch from Nagasaki to the Shogun’s court in Edo. Three horseback riders are dressed as Dutch merchants and a fourth figure, probably het Opperhoofd, is seen inside a palanquin, norimon. Just about to cross the bridge, two men are carrying a cabinet like the present one. Many Japanese figures on either side of the procession are engaged in various activities; some play musical instruments on board of small boats, others are fishing; figures inside buildings are depicted playing go, and farmers are tending to their rice paddocks. The upper part of the right door shows a large mansion, probably the local daimyo’s castle, with men kneeling before a man in the central courtyard. The court journey fits in with the foreign policy of the shogunate which accorded a role to the VOC alongside China, Korea, and the Ryukyu Islands who also had to pay tribute. However, the VOC employees were traders, having low status in Japan’s social hierarchy, and they were received with less deference than were the state embassies from Korea and the Ryukyu Islands. Nevertheless, the contacts with the Dutch were a welcome source of information to the Shogun about Europe and European science and technology. The left side of the cabinet depicts, in mirror image, a rare view of the artificial fan-shaped Deshima Island, the trading post for the Dutch in Japan. The island, where the Dutch flag flies, is surrounded by small Japanese boats and an anchored three-masted fluyt (cargo ship), flying Dutch flags, with on the stern the VOC monogram. On the bottom right a busy street of Nagasaki is shown, bordered by shops and leading up to the stone bridge. On the island the trees are beautifully painted, two cows can be seen, and the flagpole, all in very fine detail. Dutchmen and enslaved Malay are visible outside the buildings and two Japanese figures, probably guards, sit in a small hut in the centre. A maximum of fifteen to twenty Dutchmen lived on the island at any time and soldiers or women were not allowed. Restrictions on Deshima were tight, and the merchants were only allowed to leave the island by special permission. The Opperhoofd had to be replaced every year, and each new Opperhoofd had to make a court journey to pay tribute, present gifts, and to obtain permission to Margaret Barclay eep on trading. In the distance, many birds fly above the hills and a four-story pagoda can be seen. The right side of the cabinet is painted with other horse riders and their retinue journeying through mountains. The pair of doors to the front open to reveal ten rectangular drawers. The drawers are decorated with scenes of birds in flight and landscapes with trees and plants. The reverse of the left door with two thatched buildings, one with a ladder, underneath a camelia tree with large blooms; the right door with a three-story pagoda nestled among trees and both doors with a flying phoenix, ho-oo bird. The cabinet, with elaborately engraved gilt copper mounts, hinges, lock plates and brass handles, is raised on an 18th-century English japanned wood stand. A pair of large cabinets...

A rare Japanese export lacquer medical instrument box Edo-period, 1650-1700 L. 19 x W. 6 x H. 8.5 cm This unconventionally shaped lacquer b...

A wonderful Japanese lacquer incense box, kogo, with a design of sparrows in flight, late Momoyama or early Edo Period, circa 1600, Japan. The small box, called a kogo, was used t...

A rare Japanese lacquered wood fubako decorated in Kodaiji maki-e style circa early 17th century the beginning of the Edo period, possibly early toward the end of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. The rectangular, long and slim box features a deep lipped lid with slightly rounded corners, a conforming lower box with two bronze medallion rings with tasseled...

A set of four extremely rare and important pictorial-style Japanese export lacquer bottles Edo-period, circa 1650-1680 H. 15.5 x W. 6.9 x B. 7.6 cm (each) The bottles with red cop...

An old Japanese lacquered small box likely used to contain incense powder called Kobako, circa Momoyama to early Edo period (16-17th century). The rectangular form box with a fitted ...

A fine Japanese pictoral style lacquer cabinet with gilt-metal mounts Kyoto, Edo period, 1670-1690 Decorated in Japanese relief lacquer work, black lacquer ground decorated...

Chinese Art. A large wooden lacquered box decorated with birds and vegetal motif China, Ming dynasty, 17th century. 36cm x 6.5cm. Condition see more pictures.

A unique and exceptional Japanese miniature or dollhouse export lacquered chest Kyoto, circa 1620-1640 The chest of rectangular shape with a domed lid, decorated in Transition-style, in gold hiramaki-e on a black background within reserved lobed cartouches decorated with landscapes animated with birds and rabbits, on a shagreen or samegawa background. The borders are decorated with geometric friezes, the box with gilt-copper mounts, the interior decorated in red lacquer. Measures: H 9.2 x W 14.5 x D 7.2 cm This miniature is of exceptional quality and a perfect copy of the famous large size Transition-style coffers. It was most likely ordered by a Dutch lady for her dollhouse (poppenhuis), like the famous Petronella Oortman (1656-1716) doll-house, which is now one of the highlights in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, or Petronella Oortmans-de la Court’s (1624-1707) dollhouse in the collection of the Centraal Museum Utrecht. Sara Rothé of Amsterdam in 1743 ordered a miniature black lacquered ivory tripod table with gold chinoiserie decoration by Jurriaan Buttner (Monika Kopplin, European Lacquer, 2010, p. 56). Other Japanned dollhouse...

Japanese Namban lacquer transition-style coffer with two drawers Kyoto/Nagasaki, circa 1650 The cartouches with gilt and red decorations of leaves...

A fine Japanese export black and gold lacquered pictorial-style dish Nagasaki or Kyoto, 1680-1720 The dish with wide flat rim of Keaki wood (Zelkova species) in black lacquer with...

Early 17th century incense burner( Koro) in basket weave nashiji lacquer pattern with chrysanthemum mons (the national symbol of Japan). Copper grill with detailed waves pattern. Foo...

The daimyo were the ruling class of land owners, subordinate to shogun, who formed around the 10th century and fell out of power in the 19th century. Daimyo families tended to be wealthy and could commission artwork or decorative pieces. This pair of 17th century hibachi are black and gold lacquer with designs of Uji Bridge...

A large lacquer Ryoshibako (Paper box in Japanese) finely decorated with Maki-e circa 17th century early Edo period. The box is of an impressive size and was used to store paper documents. Both sides of the lid were elaborately decorated with maki-e and the edge was befitted with lead rim, an early practice before the silver rim became common later. The interior and base were finished in Nashiji. The night scene on top surface of the lid depicts flocks of chidoris flying in formation from a sea shore swaying with reeds under a full moon, using hiramaki-e in both gold and silver. Ribbons of clouds were achieved with different densities of gold powder. The underside, in contrast, shows a crescent moon in takamakie-e above the sea with ferns and reeds. Chidoris, the plovers, are symbolic in Japanese culture as "thousands of blessings" and longevity. The Namichidori, the pattern in which the chidori flies in the nami (wave) represents the eternal love and safety of couples and families. For detailed references on the historical background and the use of chidoris on lacquerware, see the reference below. This very lacquer box was featured for sale as lot 339 in Christie's London Sale Japanese Art...

Early 17th century Negoro lacquer footed bowl, Edo period (1603-1868) round bowl with tripod cabriole style legs. Negoro lacquer (monk's lacquer in red ...

Chinese red lacquer box from Qing dynasty. Includes nine-pieces. Before in excellent condition. But when I take pictures, accidentally fell t...

A fine set of 5pieces Chinese bamboo tea cups with silvered interiors from the 17th century Qing Dynasty, the faces each of each decorated t...

A large Japanese transitional lacquer chest with gilt-metal mounts Edo period, early 17th century The rectangular chest with flat hinged lid decorated in gold, silver, and red ...

Pair of Chinese silver, lacquer, and mother of pearl plates from the 17th century. A matching pair of ornamental antique Chinese plates, the faces ...

Antique 17th century set of 8 Chinese lacquer cups with silver liner in interior of each cup with color of mother of pearls.

Wooden basin with ear-shaped handles decorated with hiramaki-e lacquer and gold and silver kirigane on a nashi-ji ground. The large and thick antique woo...

An extremely fine and important Japanese lacquer cabinet with gilt-copper mounts for the European market Edo period, late 17th century The pictorial style decorated rectangular...

An impressive and large Japanese 'Namban' transition-style lacquer coffer with fine gilt copper mounts on a French Re´gence base, possibly by André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) Kyot...