An intricate Japanese straw work game box with complex geometric shapes and patterns. A slightly domed and moulded top and base sitting on 4 bracket type feet. Original fitted interior with 6 removable lidded containers , each having striking straw maquetry in color and shape. Six corresponding holes on the bottom of the box underneath each container to facilitate its removal. Very rare in this condition considering its delicate material.
Japan, Meiji Period (1868-1912)
height: 4 in. 10 cm.,
width: 11.5 in. 29 cm.,
depth: 9.5 in. 24 cm.
The technique of straw marquetry appears to be more or less universal. Basically the straw was split, flattened, sometimes bleached and dyed, and then glued onto the wood, or first on paper which was then glued onto the object. Care had to be taken in the application of appropriate pressure to insure the adhesion and flatness of the delicate material. Blotting paper was used to absorb the extra moisture from the glue. Sometimes geometric shapes such as herringbone, lines, chequered squares, and other designs were cutout of long strips of straw that were first glued on paper. For example, lines cut diagonally could give long lengths of sharply defined herringbone designs.
For many decades straw work has been neglected. On account of the fragility of the material and the fact that it cannot be refinished, most old pieces show signs of ageing. This has meant that it was only sought after by connoisseurs who had the confidence to display antiques as antiques and not as over restored pieces from centuries past.
Exceptional prisoner of war work and early pieces, which are very rare, command considerably higher prices. With scholarship identifying artists and areas of work, these small treasures are fast disappearing into museums and important collections. *
*excerpted from Antique boxes, tea caddies, & society 1700-1880 (pages 119-125) by Antiqone Clarke & Joseph O’Kelly, copyright © 2003, Published by Schifffer Publishing, Ltd., Altgen, PA