λ TWO JAPANESE LACQUER KŌGŌ (INCENSE BOXES)

λ TWO JAPANESE LACQUER KŌGŌ (INCENSE BOXES)
EDO/MEIJI, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

The first a square box and cover, decorated with camellia flowers strung on a thin ribbon, rendered in red, gold and silver fundame on the black roiro lacquer ground, the inside in silver togidashi with specks of gold, with a paper collection label for 'Tomkinson Collection 204', and another label inside inscribed 2154/2; another box and cover naturalistically modelled as a persimmon with a leafy stem, in red and gold hiramaki-e and with a nashiji interior and base, with a paper collection label for 'Tomkinson Collection' and possibly '694', raised on an associated Chinese stand with Tomkinson Collection label possibly inscribed 'I, 324a' ; together with an unusual aubergine-shaped wood tonkotsu (tobacco box) with a glass ojime; 8cm max. (7)

Provenance: the Tomkinson Family Collection, first collected by Michael Tomkinson (1841-1921) and thence by descent.

Literature: the square box listed in M Tomkinson, A Japanese Collection Made by Michael Tomkinson, vol.II, p.20, no.204.

Ivory Act 2018 exemption certificate, ref. 9JZ59H3M.