Price guide to Japanese gold lacquer boxes. The earliest Japanese export lacquer, made from the 1570s to 1630 for Portuguese markets, was made in Western forms such as cabinets and bowls, with decoration very different from lacquer made for use in Japan. These first exports are today described as nanban, a Japanese term literally meaning ‘Southern barbarian’: foreigners whose ships arrived from the south. The decoration, in gold on a black background, sometimes inlaid with mother-of-pearl, covered almost the entire surface and was often contained within wide geometric borders. Later, from the 1630s, to suit the tastes of the Dutch and other northern European countries, Japanese lacquer makers adopted a more pictorial style in gold on a black background for their export ware. Reference: Victoria and Albert Museum
A gold-lacquer kogo (incense box)
Edo period
A circular turned-wood box with inrobuta (flush-fitting lid), the exterior covered in gold kinji lacquer and finely decorated in gold and some red takamaki-e with extensive gold foil, depicting flowering cherry trees in the mountains of Yoshino with a thatched cottage in the foreground and bands of cloud above, the base, risers and interior of fine gold nashiji.
3.2cm x 8.5cm, and with wood storage box.
Sold for £562 inc. premium at Bonhams in 2018
JAPANESE GOLD LACQUER WRITING BOX 18th/19th Century Attributed to Koma Koryu. Decorated on exterior with rice cultivation landscape; on interior with sosho calligraphy and additional landscape designs. 7.5″ x 5.5″. Ex Collection: Mr. Arthur Kay (British, 1860-1939). Noted art critic, collector, and author of Treasure Trove in Art.
Sold for 1,000 GBP at Eldred’s Auction Gallery in 2017
A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO) DEPICTING SCENES OF THE SUMIYOSHI SHRINE
EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)
Decorated in gold, silver, and black hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, kirikane, and gold and silver foils on a nashiji ground, the cover depicting the Sumiyoshi Shrine with a Torii gate, a taikobashi [hump-backed bridge] and the shrine precinct amongst pines, a boat on water and a cart to the front, the interior of the cover with a moon-lit scene with boats on water by pines and reeds, the inner trays similarly decorated and fitted with an ink stone and water dropper, the base and interior in nashiji, fundame rims, fitted wood box titled Jidai maki-e Itabunko suzuribako [An old lacquered writing box]
19.2 x 17.8 x 2.6 cm.
Sold for GBP 5,625 at Christie’s in 2017
Japanese Lacquer Writing Box
19th Century
Of rectangular form, the lid and sides worked in gold lacquer depicting a bridge in a landscape with pine in the foreground, the lid interior designed with a roof top and tree tops, ink stone and silver water dropper. Height 2 inches, width 9 inches, depth 10 inches.
Lid with five small lacquer chips the largest being 1/4 inch diameter approximately. Some light wear to lid around post of bridge and by pine tree. Base with scattered lacquer chips on rim. Probable that the gold area of rim where lid fits on has been touched up. Areas of wear to lacquer interior. Foot has a 3inch long crack along one side .
Sold for $1,062 (includes buyer’s premium) at Doyle New York in 2011
Japanese Lacquer Box with Mother of Pearl and Gold.
19th cen, meiji period, measures 3.6″ by 3.4″, small corner area lacquer worn.
Sold For: $1,100 at Stallion Hill Gallery in 2018
A Small gold lacquer box and cover
19th century
in the form of two overlapping four-panel paper screens, decorated in gold hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, kirigane and gold dust on a kin-ji (gold) ground within nashi-ji borders, the sides with the Rokkasen (the six poets) and poems on a card in the same techniques, and the flowers in togidashi and hiramaki-e, the interior in sparse nashi-ji on a ro-iro (black lacquer) ground (2)
4 1/4 by 3 3/4 by 2 in., 10.8 by 9.5 by 5.1 cm
Sold for 11,250 USD at Sothebys in 2008
