Page 312 - Japanese marks and seals on pottery, paper and other objects.

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274 LACQUER, ENAMELS, METAL, WOOD, IVORY, ETC.

with gold, in imitation of the skin of a pear, which is
known in Europe as aventurine from its resemblance to the
Venetian glass so called the Ro-iro, or pure black and
; ;
the SJm-imri, or pure red lacquer.
Five examples of ancient work, said to have been
made between the sixth and the thirteenth centuries, are pre-
served in the temples and museums of Japan, and native
records give the names of successive noted artists who have
lived from the twelfth century to the present day but the
;
choice works which are now so highly prized date only from
the seventeenth century, when the age of luxury and refine-
ment which has since continued, commenced, and the exquisite
examples of flat and raised gold lacquer were produced
by artists who worked under the patronage of the feudal
nobles. These rare specimens do not bear the signatures
of the makers, for it was not the custom to sign, or
indeed mark in any way whatever, such objects of art,
when they were produced for the special use of the patron
prince of the artist. The list of marks given in this
volume is, therefore, a meagre one, and contains no inscrip-
tion of an earlier date than the period of Anyei, 1772 to
1781 A.D. This appears upon a luncheon-box, in red and
gold lacquer of exquisite quality, in the Bowes Collection
but not a single example of the older work in hira or taki-
makiye in this, or indeed in any other collection so far
as the author is aware, is marked, and the remainder of
the inscriptions are copied from specimens of comparatively
recent manufacture, and none of them present any points
of interest which call for special remark.
Perhaps even more remarkable than the beautiful lacquer
wares are the ancient works of cloisonne enamelling upon
copper. Singularly little is known of the origin of this
art, of its development, or of the use to which the examples
were put. It is indeed stated that the process was
introduced from China towards the end of the sixteenth
century, and this is confirmed by the colouring of what'
are supposed to be the earlier efforts of the Japanese