Japan, 19th century. - Lot 340

Japan, 19th century. Large karabitsu, rectangular chest on four legs decorated in gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlays (on nashiji lacquer) depicting sparrows in flight amidst autumn flowers and plants including chrysanthemums (kiku), lespedezes (hagi), Chinese reeds (obana / susuki), patrinia (ominaeshi), bellflowers (kikyô), etc., covering all four sides and the lid, covering the four sides and the lid, the feet decorated with stylized flower motifs in lozenges, copper alloy fittings (corners, feet, clasp) chased with foliage and coats of arms (the mitsuba-aoi mon), as well as two handles on the lid, the interior covered with printed paper. Height: 76 cm. Width: 141 cm. Depth: 61 cm. (Chips, cracks and restorations mainly on the lid). Expert: L.M. Karabitsu means "Chinese chest". But if this form is of foreign origin, no example has survived in China. Used in Japan as early as the Nara period (645-794), it was used to store precious objects. The oldest surviving karabitsu are black lacquered and inlaid with mother-of-pearl motifs, like the one in the Horyu-Ji treasure trove dating from the Heian period (12th century), or Negoro lacquer (red and black), like the one in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art dating from the Muromachi period (1392-1573). From the Edo period onwards, in the early 17th century, they were mainly decorated with maki-e lacquer. This one is remarkably large, with an abundance of particularly meticulous decoration.