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Koto-Shaped Writing Box, ca 1910

Creator: Maki-e
Offered by: Thomsen Gallery

Description
Maki-e Artist
Koto-Shaped Writing Box, ca 1910
Maki-e gold lacquer on wood with silver rims and inlay
Size 1½ x 8½ x 3½ in. (4.1 x 21.9 x 8.6 cm)
T-2450

A lacquer suzuribako writing box in the form of a thirteen stringed koto.
The top uses the mokume technique to simulate wood. The strings are done in takamaki-e, the short sides in okibirame. The short sides are inlaid with gold, silver and coral cherry blossoms on a fundame background. The string insertion is a silver inlay in the shape of a dragon. The inside edges are lined in silver.
This was most likely custom made for a wealthy merchant and placed in the entrance where the guests would sign in

Provenance: Elaine Ehrenkranz Collection

Published: B.T. Okada, A Sprinkling of Gold: The Lacquer Box Collection of Elaine Ehrenkranz, The Newark Museum, 1983, exh. cat., p. 119

More Information

Documentation:	Documented elsewhere (similar item)
Period:	1900-1919
Creation Date:	1910
Styles / Movements:	Modern, Asian
Incollect Reference #:	829671

Dimensions

W.	8.5 in;	H.	1.5 in;	D.	3.5 in;
W.	21.59 cm;	H.	3.81 cm;	D.	8.89 cm;

Message from Seller:

Thomsen Gallery, now located at 8 East 67th Street, New York City, NY 10065, specializes in important Japanese paintings, folding screens, hanging scrolls, ceramics, ikebana bamboo baskets, lacquerware, and contemporary works by select artists. Owned and directed by Erik and Cornelia Thomsen, the gallery brings decades of expertise in Japanese art to a global clientele, including private collectors and major museums. For inquiries, contact them at 212-288-2588 or info@thomsengallery.com.