Featured Japanese lacquered tray with fan patterns

So I’m back with my second purchase of Japanese lacquerware! This one is a mini tray with Maki-e of two fans (calling our fan fan
@Any Jewelry here).



One thing about Maki-e I particularly like is that the moment you see it, you can see quality straight away. This is the finest piece I have ever came across with, just look at those lines representing water flow: just impeccable even under 30x magnification. The actual line is as thin as my hair, just so smooth. It’s hard to imagine painting they, let alone layering up to achieve such thickness as if carved…


Unfortunately this tray is missing its feet, which allows me to get it with a lower price. Still perfect for wall hanging! And it bears the mark of
Zohiko, a workshop in business since 1661. Website here: https://www.zohiko.co.jp/about/


Although there are some pieces with this mark made in late 20th century, I think mine could be older based on the oxidation of the golden powder and sign of use.it’s less fresh than another box with Maki-e, see comparison: And this is where you see quality… the tray came twice in price

Please share thoughts about this beautiful, would be great if anyone holds different opinion on its age… thanks for watching! Please enjoy as much as I do!

 

There are two things I really like about Maki-e lacquerware: first, it tells its value apparently- for a top dollar piece everyone can see how good it is, while the valuation system is more complex for other antiques. I have almost 0 knowledge about Maki-e, but as soon as I saw this I willingly paid that price. I saw how finely it was executed, I knew it’s not cheap and I accepted.

Second, these are extremely hard to fake. The new pieces are much more expensive than the old ones, no one with that skill would bother faking it, which offer me peace of mind as a paranoid collector!

@808 raver :although not as good as the box you shared ( for a fraction of that price too), but they do share something similar

 

sadly I cannot upload its video to show the golden paint in motion… it’s just a dazzling dream…

 

It is an absolute beauty, great find.

That is the thing with maki-e lacquers, you don't have to know anything about them to enjoy the perfect aesthetic and the excellent quality.

In general, the Japanese were always focused on perfecting a single art form rather than producing an item in many different materials and techniques. It paid off.

 

Since you like Japanese lacquer, this is one of my Meiji period boxes. It showcases different lacquer techniques:

 

And as an illustrator myself I fully see how much effort is required to make it. To draw the smooth thin lines already needs top skill, but layering them up is just ten times harder

 

would never guess Meiji again because of the condition and how ‘fashionable’ it is : almost like a multi-media project with photographs of various styles and techniques! The one at the lower left is very cool

 

Yep !

Yep !
I'd have to say (no offense Shammy) I prefer Japanese Aesthetic over Chinese in general-because it seems to have a clearer sense of form & focus-I guess you could call it a Zen kind of clarity, a sublime simplicity.
PS-I'm talking in broad generalities here !

 

I must admit that I sometimes feel the same and speaking as an illustrator I myself was overall more influenced by Japanese art… as for Chinese art I prefer those came from Han dynasty or earlier… I don’t really echo with later works…

and also for Japanese antiques there are more of them available of good shape, lower prices and risk of getting a fake

 

Simply beautiful...magnetically attractive...Thanks, Shamster!

 

Also here is a set of fan-patterned trays from the same maker for you to enjoy:https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k1185424903

 

Well, I still have to repair one of the hinges....
(I have only had it for 30 odd years.)

 

It’s beauty is intact anyway

 

I bought it for the lid. And it was dirt cheap because of the hinge, which only needs a few nails.

 

I just realized I haven’t seen a Japanese box with hinge so far, most of them are just separate lid and base, could yours be an export piece?

 

Very likely, also with those examples of lacquer techniques. And I found it in a local auction. The Netherlands has been trading with Japan for many centuries.
Also acting as a go-between for China btw, during the centuries when China was banned from trading with Japan. That was one of the ways the Dutch East India Company got rich, buying gold in Japan and selling it to China, and buying Chinese silk and furs to sell in Japan.

 

Very interesting, never know we used to have a ban. Though I know that Qing court actually has lots of Japanese lacquerware because the emperor couldn’t resist it too

 

Most of that would have come to China through the Dutch, because the trade ban was in place during most of the Qing period.

They traded for other countries too, because the Dutch were the only foreigners allowed to trade in Japan.

 

Meiji-An amazing period in all of art history (for me anyway).

 

This item has the same mark ...
https://japaneseantiquestore.com/sh...uribako-硯箱-writing-box-depicting-jurojin-寿老人/