Box Lacquered Wood Gilding Maki-e Tengu Characters Japan Early 20th Century

Lacquered wooden box with maki-e* decoration of two characters, two Tengu** with their long noses, flying in the air, at the bottom a mountain, from Japan, from the early 20th century. This box is in good condition and is of good quality. Please note: small stain on the lid (see last photo), some dirt, scratches and slight wear from time, see photos. * Maki-e represents the most sophisticated technique in the art of lacquer, designating a decorative work where dust, gold or silver particles are delicately sprinkled on still wet lacquer, generally black, to create the pattern. The powder embedded between each layer of lacquer helps to highlight the decorations by illuminating them. Maki-e itself has given rise to a flowering of techniques specific to it. The first is without any relief (togidashi maki-e). The second offers a slight relief (hiramaki-e). The third type of decoration, which appeared in the Kamakura period (1185–1333), is distinguished by a strong relief (takamaki-e) obtained first by applying dry lacquer powders, charcoal or tin and then by applying a treatment identical to that of Hiramaki-e. One of the greatest beauties of lacquer is that it adorns the most precious objects as well as the most everyday. Lacquer bowls and dishes span the centuries, as do boxes with multiple uses: document boxes, tea boxes, incense boxes, brush boxes, ink boxes, card boxes, medicine boxes, etc. (Extract from Proantic magazine) ** Tengu are a type of legendary creatures in Japanese popular religion. Belonging to the yokai family, it is also considered a kami (or Shinto deity) ruling over the mountain and the forest. In art, tengu appear in a wide variety of forms, but they usually fall somewhere between a large monstrous bird and a fully anthropomorphic being, often with a red face or an abnormally large or broad nose. The earliest depictions of tengu show them as kites that can take human form, often with wings, a bird's head, or a beak. The long noses of tengu appear to have been designed in the 14th century, as a humanization of the bird's beak origin. The long noses of tengu connect them with the Shinto deity Saruta-hiko. Dimensions Dimensions 25.8 cm x 18.6 cm / 3.3 cm Reference: E10 728 All photos are on: www.antiques-delaval.com