This rare and highly decorative 1930s Art Deco Takita porcelain lidded box is an exceptional example of Japanese Art Deco ceramic design, a category that remains far more elusive than its European and American counterparts. Versatile in form, the piece functions beautifully as a biscuit jar, tea caddy, ice bucket, or sculptural decorative container, making it both practical and collectable.
The box is cylindrical and lantern-shaped, modeled after an accordion-pleated Asian paper lantern, giving it strong architectural presence and rhythmic geometry. The porcelain body is painted in a vibrant zig-zag pattern rendered in pastel pink, blue, and yellow against a crisp white ground. The lantern creases are dramatically emphasized with black horizontal accent lines, heightening contrast and reinforcing the bold, modernist Art Deco aesthetic.
The removable lid features an asymmetrically placed gilt porcelain knob, a classic Art Deco touch that introduces tension and movement to the design. A woven rattan handle, secured by gilt porcelain mounts on either side, moves freely and adds a sophisticated material contrast, blending natural texture with gleaming glazed porcelain.
The interior is clean and well preserved, with no chips or cracks to the interior, lid lip, or body rim. There is one chip to the base, measuring approximately 3/8 inch wide, which does not affect the visual presentation or functionality. The base is stamped “T/T Hand Paint Made in Japan.”
While collectors are well acquainted with French Art Deco porcelain and ceramics by celebrated makers such as Robj, Lalique, Sèvres, and Limoges, as well as Czechoslovakian Art Deco manufacturers like Ditmar Urbach, Amphora, and Royal Dux, Japanese Art Deco porcelain...
Category
1930s Japanese Art Deco Vintage Ceramic Decorative Boxes
MaterialsPorcelain, Rattan
