Europe - Lacquer

We kindly invite you to read the full description, as we aim to provide detailed technical and historical information to ensure the authenticity of our pieces. Unusual and refined pa...

Antique Japanese lacquered wood Box Beautiful and elegant lacquered wood box and gold gilt, decorated with a crane with floral motives and Japanese script Measures: Height 6 inches 1...

A fine and rare Japanese black lacquer table or jewellery cabinet, exquisitely decorated in intricate detail, dating to the late Meiji per...

A Japanese export lacquer tripod table with feet shaped as bats Nagasaki, 1850-1860 H. 73 x diam. 108 cm The six-lobbed top is decorated with reverse-painted mother-of-pearl in a sprawling motif of plum blossom, bamboo, and peonies, surrounded by fluttering sparrows enhanced by details in maki-e. The table, made to appeal to a foreign audience, incorporates a curious mixture of seasonal references. In addition to the decoration of foliage from late winter and spring, the column is decorated with grapes and a rabbit pounding rice, both Japanese motifs for autumn and the month of September. The feet, shaped like bats that almost appear to wake up from hibernation, symbolise luck and happiness in Japan. The present flamboyant Nagasaki-style table is depicted in the Asada workshop drawings of 1856. These drawings, titled Aogai makie hiinagata hikae (memorandum of designs for lacquer with inlaid pearl...

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...

Chinese screen in black lacquered wood decorated with gilded paintings, very sturdy with excellent wooden base.

A very good quality early 20th century Chinese Coromandel lacquer eight fold screen. Depicting a classical Pagoda buildings with numerous courtiers wondering around. Bordered with fa...

Exquisite early 19th century chinoiserie table cabinet in black lacquer and gilt decoration. Canton, circa 1830. Extremely rare to retain most of gilt decoration in such a pristine c...

A small Japanese black and gold lacquer suzuribako (writing box) with cartwheels in water, by the artist Hattori Toshio (1943). Of rectangular form with rounded corners, bearing a lustrous rôiro ground throughout, the exterior sides of the box and exterior of the cover finely decorated in gold and little silver takamaki-e with cartwheels flowing in a dynamically executed body of water with many swirls and gushes as well as scattered dew drops, the interior tray fitted with a rectangular ink stone and silver suiteki (waterdropper). The underside signed ‘Toshi’. With the original wooden tomobako with hakogaki reading Namikuruma makie suzuribako (The writing box set, with a design of wheels in water), as well as a leaflet written in Japanese with the artist’s biography up to 1987. Hattori Toshio (b. 1943), art name Hattori Shunsho, was first selected for the Nitten exhibition in Showa 38 (1963). Since then, he has exhibited more than twenty times at the Nitten and other exhibitions, winning numerous prestigious awards. In 1995, he had an audience with Pope John Paul II and presented the Pope with a lacquer reading table. In 2004, he created the shelves for the guest room of the Kyoto State Guest House of the Government of Japan. He is a member of the Kyoto Crafts Artists Association, the Kyoto Lacquer...

A pair of fine Japanese export lacquered cutlery boxes Kyoto or Nagasaki, late 18th century H. 33.5 x W. 24 x D. 21 cm The bow-fronted boxes with sloping lids flat at the top are made of hinoki wood (Cypress), coated with Japanese paper and decorated in lacquer with scattered gold birds and flowers on a nashiji background. The Japanese mounts are made of copper and both boxes still have internal partitions to keep the cutlery upright. The form of these boxes is similar to a pictorial-style knife box in the collection of the Groninger Museum (inv. 1989- 347), dated between 1730 and 1780, but the style of the decoration is more like that on a knife box in the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem (inv. E62271), which was brought to Salem by James Devereux, Captain of the Franklin, in 1799. Provenance: Henriette Jeane Christine van Neukirchen, called Nyvenheim (1807- 1849) and Nicolaas Johan Steengracht van Oostcapelle (1806-1866), thence by descent to the last owners, Ludolphine Emilie baronesse Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (1944) married in 1969 to Roland Daniel van Haersma Buma (1944), the last residents of castle Duivenvoorden near Voorschoten and the great-great-granddaughter of Nicolaas Johan Steengracht van Oostcapelle. There is no evidence that Nicolaas Johan himself, or any of his or his wife’s ancestors had ever been in Japan. However, Nicolaas’ grandfather (Nicolaas Steengracht, 1754-1840) was a director of both the VOC and WIC (West Indies Company...

An extremely rare, possibly unique, Chinese export lacquer bureau for the Dutch market Canton, circa 1737 H. 118 x W. 102.5 x D. 63 cm Provenance: - Private collection, The Netherlands - J.K. Driessen Antiques, Arnhem (Art Fair Breda, 1989) - Noble collection, Belgium Literature: - C.J.A. Jörg, ’De handel van de V.O.C. in Oosters lakwerk in de 18de eeuw’ in: Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek , Jr. 31 (1980), pp. 355-363 (ill.) - Annigje Hofstede, Nederlandse meubelen van Barok tot Biedermeier, 1700-1830, Waanders, Zwolle 2004, pp. 35-37 (ill.) This lacquer bureau is one of the four writing desks purchased in Canton in 1737, and as far as is known, this is the only remaining bureau of its type from the period. As the VOC believed that large pieces of import took up too much valuable space in their trading ships...

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...

Inrō with four gold lacquer compartments, decorated with a lake landscape. Accompanied by a bronze ryusa manju. Small boxes formed of compartments that fit one on top of the other, i...

A nicely designed Japanese lacquer Inro with a wooden netsuke. The Inro with motives of a man playing a flute on one side and a creek on the other side. The Netsuke with signature.

An 18th century Chinese Export Lac de Bergaute tea chest, of octagonal shaped form with hinged lid and red paper-lined interior. Decorated in mother of pearl with figures in a garden...

Pretty Japanese lacquered box decorated with birds and foliage. signed Lacquered inside and outside Late 19th century Without key Nice lock Ideal for storing jewelry.

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...

A very decorative set of six small, early 19th century, black lacquer and gilt-decorated gaming trays. Circa 1830. Why we like them Exquisite gilt decoration, wonderfully well-pres...

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

Superb late 16th century signed colonial Japanese Namban export lacquer coffer Momoyama period, late 16th/early 17th century, inscribed 'Arisato' on the bottom H. 30.5 x W. 43...

A striking black lacquer table or jewellery cabinet, exquisitely decorated with Oriental figures and pagodas throughout. Mid-19th century. A highly desirable and sought after model. ...

This lacquer is decorated with deers in a lush environnement in lavish reds with a waterfall in silver leaf. It has a seal and is signed by the artist. Lacquer is an ancestral Viet...

Kyoto, circa 1680 The writing box has bevelled edges and a kabusebuta (overhanging lid), and is completely covered in black lacquer in maki-e and decorated in gold, silver and red h...

We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Valua...

This superbly large Chinese carved red cinnabar lacquer vase is highly decorative and a beautiful piece of Chinese art. The vase is highly c...

This is a box for the matcha powder using while tea ceremony in Japan. It is called 'Natsume'. It is made with wood. The design is a boat and it is hand painted. The material is with...

This is a box for the matcha powder using while tea ceremony in Japan. It is called 'Natsume'. It is made with wood. The design is some automne flowers and it is all hand painted. Th...

In this ad you get the chance to buy a beautiful hand-painted Russian lacquer box from the 1800s. It is cylindrical in shape, slightly curving in...

Beautiful Japanese box in red lacquered wood. The lid is decorated with flowering magnolia branches and signed by the artist. The inside of the box is covered with a paint loaded wit...

Rectangular kobako box in takamaki-e and kirigane gold lacquer circled with pewter depicting a lake landscape. Inside and back of the box in nashi-ji lacquer. Japan – Edo period (16...

An extremely rare and unusual 18th century red lacquer presentation box, intricately gilt-decorated with immortals, auspicious symbols and poetry. Canton, Qing dynasty, circa 1760. ...

Beautifull inro of six compartments made of black gold, silver and tin lacquer, representing a dragon on each side, surrounded by black and silver clouds, the inside is made of nas...

A stunning and rare antique Chinese armorial games box of rectangular form with over 110 matching armorial mother-of-pearl gaming counters. The black lacquer box is finely decorated with a central Chinese landscape scene, the centre with an armorial for Smith impaling ABBOT. the box opens to reveal five lidded boxes each with similar decoration to that on the box outer and each with a central armorial crest. The box also contains 12 gaming trays, four of which are decorated with the same armorial as is the addition of the Pope Joan...

Large Impressive Indo Persian Table Box Handcrafted from Papier Mache Engraved and skillfully hand painted Dating from mid 1900's Good vintage condition with gentle signs of wear c...

This is a box for the matcha powder using while tea ceremony in Japan. It is called 'Natsume'. It is made with wood. The design is plums (Japanese apricot 'UME') and it is hand paint...

A large and very rare Chinese export black lacquer box, exquisitely gilt-decorated with whimsical oriental motifs. Chinese, Canton, Qing dynasty, ...

Japanese Lacquered Katana Stand – Tashi Kake, Meiji Period (19th Century) Rare Tashi Kake from Japan, an elegant vertical stand for a katana, crafted in fully lacquered wood. This M...

An unusual and fine antique Chinese Qing lacquered and inlaid papier mache handled sewing box with decorative panels dating from latter 19th or early 20th century. The sewing box is of round cylindrical shape with a swing carry handle and is inlaid with mother of pearl and abalone. The body is made up of eight oval shaped scenes of typical Chinese style with buildings and people picked out with inset abalone and mother of pearl and highlighted and contained within a gilded border. These are set between bands of patterned abalone and against a blue silk background. A similar band of abalone is applied to the swing handle. The cover sits within a recess and is made up of bands on inset abalone with cut out triangular designs and set over blue silk with a small finely carved mother of pearl handle...

An exceptional antique Chinese gold and black lacquer games box raised on four paw feet with a domed lift off cover decorated with figural landscape panels in gilded lacquer colours on a black ground. The cover lifts off to reveal five lidded removable counter boxes...

A lacquered 4-piece inrô with a covering design of fireflies (hotaru) flying over helms of grass and around a lantern (andon), shining attractively for the fireflies. Surrounded by rims embellished with a scrolling vine design (karakusa). Executed in golden hiramaki-e (low-relief lacquer design) and takamaki-e (high-relief lacquer design) with small red accents on the wings and kirigane, (cut and inlaid pieces of gold leaf) at the tails of the fireflies to accentuate the ‘light’ they exude. Set on a glossy black lacquer background. The compartmentalized interior coated with nashiji (sprinkled gold lacquer)finished with fundame rims (matt gold lacquer). Laced with purple silk cords, with a brown glass bead ojime, and 2-part manjû netsuke...

Elegant lacquered tiered jûbako (picnic box) comprising five stackable tiers, two covers, and a raised tray. Each bearing an attractive deep chestnut brown ground and lacquered in ta...

This is a vintage Cinnabar display plate. A Chinese, decorative serving dish, dating to the late 20th century, circa 1980. Striking carved detail and superb colour Displays a desirable aged patina and in good order Rich red hues profusely carved with relief Oriental scene Attractive flared rim with chased foliate pattern Japanned to the reverse with deep black finish This is a fascinating vintage Cinnabar display plate, with superb relief scene...

Superb rectangular black lacquer tebako (box for personal accessories) with a slightly domed well-fitted lid. The lid has a continuous soft-tone multicoloured hiramaki-e (low-relief...

Nice little black lacquer box from Japan. It is made of black lacquered wood and decorated with flowers and foliage. The inside is covered with red velvet. It is ideal for storing je...

This is a good papier mâché, rectangular shaped black lacquered lidded box, hand enamelled and gilded, made in Japan during the 19th century, early Meiji period. This rectangular shaped papier mâché box has a well fitting hinged lid, with the box base and lid slightly domed. The box was probably originally made as a pocket box but could easily sit on a desk or dressing table as required. This is a very decorative box with finely hand painted scenes of three people, one holding a parasol, in a garden setting, with a pagoda type building, large gate...

A large Japanese Namban lacquer arqueta coffer for the Portuguese market Kyoto, Momoyama-period, late 16th century In Hinoki cypress lacquered in ...

A stunning and rare antique Chinese armorial games box of rectangular form with over 110 matching armorial mother of pearl gaming counters. The black lacquer box is finely decorated with a central Chinese landscape scene, the centre with an armorial for Smith impaling Abbot. The box opens to reveal five lidded boxes each with similar decoration to that on the box outer and each with a central armorial crest. The box also contains 12 gaming trays, four of which are decorated with the same armorial as is the addition of the Pope Joan...

Suzuribako box (empty) in black lacquer. Gold maki-e decoration of a river bordered by peonies, one with red highlights. The edges of the lid are in gold lacquer. Nashi-ji interior.

A exquisite, fine quality Meiji period (1868-1912) Japanese black lacquer cabinet on stand with wonderful scrolling gilded decoration. H...

Fine Pair Japanese Lacquered Wood Bowls 19th Century Meiji Beautiful and elegant example of Japanese lacquer ware with and gold gilt, Rice bowls ...

Tebako box with three compartments in golden and nashi-ji lacquer, decorated with golden, red, and kirigane lacquer, golden persimmon tree leaves, among rocks. The compartments are of increasing size from the top. The decoration is in continuity. Persimmon has been cultivated in southern China for more than 2500 years and is believed to have been introduced to Japan in the 8th century. The veneer is a tree with very hard wood, similar to ebony. According to a legend, one specimen survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, close to the epicenter. It is therefore in Japan a symbol of strength and longevity. It is also the national fruit of the country. It is eaten as a traditional dish during New Year's Day celebrations. Tebako literally means "portable box...

An oval Japanese export lacquer tray decorated with the alliance of the coats of arms of the Mooyaart and Pauw families Edo-period, circa 1798 L. 51.5 x B. 37.5 x H.3.2 cm This tra...

This is a good papier mâché, circular, black lacquered tray, hand enameled and gilded, made in Japan during the 19th century, Meiji period. This circular tray is very decorative, ...

Beautiful Japanese box in red lacquered wood. The lid is decorated with golden herons and flowering tree branches and signed by the artist. Black flowers are painted around the box. ...

Kobako in nashiji lacquer of square shape with a hira maki-e décor of a blossoming cherry tree. Both of the four sides are adorned with golden lacquer cherry flowers, represented i...

Pretty little Japanese lacquered box. On a golden metal medal inside we can read the royal motto of the Netherlands, adorned with a lion: "Je maintiendrai...

Late 19th century Burmese red lacquer special ceremonial offering vessel. Detailed spire form the top of the lid, stepped curved ring molded bowl above round base. Multiple lay...

An exceptional, oblong lacquer 3-tiered storage box with cover, reminiscent of a bento box, by Hiroshi Hayashi (1967). Covered in shiny gold and black l...