TWO JAPANESE LACQUER SUZURIBAKO (WRITING BOXES)

TWO JAPANESE LACQUER SUZURIBAKO (WRITING BOXES)
EDO/MEIJI ERA (1868-1912)

5.7cm x 24.7cm x 27.6cm, and 5cm x 24.4cm x 22.5cm. (17)

From a private collection, Hampshire.

The first decorated in gold hiramaki-e and kirikane lacquer on the black roiro ground, with many karako (boys) at play underneath a large pine tree, one holding a phoenix-like bird in flight on a tether, with a chicken and three dogs below; the sides with further pine; the interior of the lid with pavilions in a mountainous river landscape, also rendered in gold hiramaki-e and kirikane lacquer and a gold nashiji ground; the inner compartments decorated with further waves, mountains and vegetation, with an ink stone and chrysanthemum-shaped suiteki and a small lidded box; the other suzuribako with a dense decoration of pines and prunus trees by the shore, with crashing and spiralling waves below; all rendered in silver and gold hiramaki-e, kirikane and nashiji, the composition extending to the sides and the interior; the inner trays, brushes and ink stone case with the same decoration, and with a prunus-shaped suiteki.