Live Auction 13988Art of Japan
A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO)
Lot 62 THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO)

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)

Closed5 December 2017

Price Realised

GBP 4,375

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A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO)
EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)
The box decorated in gold, black, and red hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, kirikane, and inlaid in silver foil, mother-of-pearl, and lead against a dense nashiji ground with a masked Bugaku dancer, the interior with a design of partially opened fans decorated with maple, bamboo and a pavilion, copper water dropper engraved with scrolling vines, slate inkstone
22.5 x 21 x 4.3 cm.

Specialist note

Bugaku dances are an amalgam of a variety of dances that were imported into Japan from the Asian continent and incorporated into official court functions. Particularly popular during the Heian period (794 - 1185), bugaku was not only performed by professionals at official functions, but also by amateur courtiers during pleasurable pastimes such as 'cherry blossom-viewing' and 'moon-gazing' parties, archery contests and horse racing. Each dance is accompanied by a large drum (dadaiko) with a flaming wood frame, as depicted on the cover of this box.