 |
|
Home |
|
Fine Japanese Gold Lacquer Takigara-ire Early Edo 17thc browse these categories for related items... All Items: Archives: Pre 1700: item # 927190 Please refer to our stock # b5135 when inquiring.
Brian Page Antiques Brighton, Sussex, United Kingdom Tel: 01273 622152 Guest Book sold |
|
|
| Ht. 2 1/2 ins. (6.4 cms) The takigara-ire is the receptacle for the used incense ash generated in the Incense Game (Ko-Awase). This example is of the finest quality, the detail is extraordinary. There is extensive use of kirigane, tiny squares of gold and silver foil, and the pointed windows on one of the buildings raised on piles in a lake are inlaid in gold foil. The "dimples" or cavities in the lacquer are lined with gold and silver to give the piece highlights but the silver has oxidised to grey, which is inevitable in a piece of this age, and the gold cavities are obscured but dust and dirt. The lid and shoulders are decorated in chrysanthemum motifs. The quality of the piece can be gauged by the chrysanthemum motifs on the shoulder extending into the shallow angle where the top of the body merges into the shoulder, a very difficult technical achievement which would only be found on the finest and most expensive pieces. Like all lacquer takagara-ire the vessel has an interior gilded copper liner. The condition is commensurate with the age of the piece. But excepting the cracks and chips around the top and lid and the wear, inevitable in a piece which has clearly been used for its proper purpose, it is in very good condition. There are no repairs. The minor cracks are often seen on takigara-ire and are due to the tension set up by the metal liner and the age related shrinkage of the wooden body. A piece of this quality, and lacquer does not get any better than this, could only have been afforded by a Daimyo or member of the aristocracy. It is very likely that the scene portrayed is an actual location in Japan, probably a sacred mountain and its associated temple but we have been unable to identify it. | ||
|