Live Auction 21618Japanese and Korean Art
AN IMPORTANT LACQUER SUTRA BOX
Lot 67

AN IMPORTANT LACQUER SUTRA BOX

MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY), SIGNED SHOKASAI WITH CURSIVE MONOGRAM (KAO)

Closed21 March 2023

Price Realised

USD 25,200

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AN IMPORTANT LACQUER SUTRA BOX
MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY), SIGNED SHOKASAI WITH CURSIVE MONOGRAM (KAO)
The deep, rectangular box with rounded corners decorated in gold, silver and black hiramaki-e and togidashi-e with details in kinpun and kirikane, with the deity Mahamayuri Vidyaraja (Kujaku Myo-o, the Peacock Wisdom King) seated on the back of a peacock, its tail forming a large feather halo behind the deity; the peacock stands upon a lotus plant within a lotus pond; the interior and underside in fine nashiji, applied with silver rims; signature on underside of the lid
10 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 5 5/8 in. (27.3 x 21.6 x 14.3 cm.)

Specialist note

The Great Peacock King is a rare subject in Japanese lacquer works. The only Guardian King to have a serene and graceful appearance, Kujaku Myo-o is believed to have the power to protect devotees from poisoning physical and spiritual ill as peacock is known to eat poisonous snakes. Here the deity represented as a beautiful, feminine figure with jewelry and richly embellished garments on a lotus throne riding on the back of a peacock. The six arms adorned with bracelets are holding two arrows, a bow, vajra and spear. The top and sides of the box shows highly skilled technique of the artist with elaborate togidashi and inlaid cut gold and silver foil.
An almost identical sutra box attributed to Shirayama Shosai (1853–1923), an Imperial Household Artist, who was well-know for his excellent togidashi technique is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/847082?ft=kujaku&offset=0&rpp=40&pos=2