Box Set 126 Tokens Mother Of Pearl Lacquered Wood Gilding Japan Monogram 19th Century

Token box or box, in lacquered wood* enhanced with gilding decorated with friezes of vine branches (vine leaves and grapes) as well as bouquets of flowers surrounding the MO monogram; interior with 5 small boxes forming compartments with 126 finely engraved mother-of-pearl tokens with the same monogram, from Japan for export, from the 19th century. This box is in good condition and is of good quality. It is indeed a set because the box and the tokens bear the same monogram. There are 78 long tokens (6.3 cm x 2 cm), 30 round tokens (dm 3.3 cm) and 18 small tokens (4 cm x 2.7 cm) or 126 tokens. Please note: some accidents and losses on the box (see red arrows), wear of the gilding in places, dirt, scratches and wear of time, see photos. * Japanese lacquerware: During the Edo period (1615-1868), due to the new organization of court life and the transfer of the capital to Edo (present-day Tokyo), the art of lacquerware spread throughout the country. Kyoto and Nagasaki supplied export lacquerware, while each center specialized in the production of a type of object intended for the domestic market. Some workshops produced utilitarian pieces, mainly tableware; others, the best, were in the service of the great aristocratic families and worked exclusively for them to produce exceptional pieces. The use of lacquerware was governed by sumptuary laws and was extremely codified. Only the elite could own very beautiful pieces, which were more objects of prestige than of use. Among these sumptuary pieces, let us mention those that made up wedding trousseaux. Their production sometimes required ten years of work for the workshop that was entrusted with the order. Princesses from the great families traveled to the shogunal capital for their wedding, accompanied by a procession that gave them the opportunity to display their sumptuous trousseau. It included many chests, filled with multiple objects (sometimes several hundred) for all uses: board games, incense sets, bathrooms, writing sets, book shelves, clothes racks, dishes, smoking sets... all objects more richly decorated than the others, and each one responding to a very specific use. In reality, they were little used, if at all, being rather designed to be ceremonial objects. (extract Les laques du Japon by Véronique Cieslik). Dimensions Dimensions 30 cm x 25.5 cm / thickness 6 cm Reference: E10 732 All the photos are on: www.antiques-delaval.com