THREE JAPANESE LACQUER KŌBON (INCENSE TRAYS)

THREE JAPANESE LACQUER KŌBON (INCENSE TRAYS)
EDO/MEIJI, 19TH CENTURY

The largest of rectangular shape and decorated in the style of Ritsuō, with chrysanthemums rendered in mother of pearl, ceramic and lead; the reverse with a minute green porcelain seal mark reading as Teiji and a paper collection label for 'Tomkinson Collection 580'; the other rectangular tray decorated in iroe togidashi with a pheasant amongst bamboo, signed Kajikawa saku, the base in gold nashiji; and the third tray in the shape of Hotei’s treasure sack, decorated in gold and black hiramaki-e, togidashi, and kimpun on a fundame ground with a karako (boy) and butterfly beneath a plum tree, the reverse in nashiji, 20.6cm max. (3)

Provenance: the Tomkinson Family Collection. The largest tray first collected by Michael Tomkinson (1841-1921) and thence by descent; the two others both formerly in the collection of James Orange, Hong Kong; purchased from Christie’s London, 19^th June 1997, lot 601 (part). James Orange lived in Hong Kong at the turn of the century, visiting Japan frequently and assembling an impressive lacquer collection. Many of his pieces were bequeathed to the British Museum in 1928.

Exhibited: the larger tray at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1894.

Literature: the same tray listed in M Tomkinson, A Japanese Collection Made by Michael Tomkinson, vol. II, p.40, no. 580. Also, listed in the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 'Catalogue of specimens of Japanese Lacquer and Metal Work', p.95, no.22.