Page 15 - Christie's The Joseph Collection of Japanese Art

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A LACQUER FUBAKO [LETTER BOX]
EDO PERIOD (18TH CENTURY)
梅流水蒔絵文箱
江戸時代（18世紀）
The rectangular box with rounded corners and overhanging cover cut away
above the cord attachments, decorated overall in gold hiramaki-e, takamaki-e,
hirame, togidashi and cut gold foil on a nashiji ground and inlaid in silver with large
calligraphic characters from part of the kanajo [preface] of the Kokin Wakashu
[Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse], among curved branches of a plum tree
on a river bank, the design continuing onto the sides, nashiji interior, the cord ring
attachments in silver with aoi-mon on a gilt nanako ground
43cm. long
£6,000-8,000 $11,000-13,000
€7,400-9,800

PROVENANCE:
Spink and Son Ltd., London
EXHIBITED:
Spink and Son Ltd., London, 23 October - 4 November 1984
PUBLISHED:
Spink and Son Ltd., Japanese Inro and Lacquer, (London, 1984), no. 46.

The decoration of this box illustrates a part of kanajo [preface] of the Kokin
Wakashu also known as Kokinshu [Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse] by Ki
no Tsurayuki (872-945). The fve characters of naku [sing], uguisu [nightingale],
sumu [dwell], kawazu [frog] and koe [voice] are actually inlaid and the blossoming
plum and water are rendered in pictorial form in various lacquer techniques on the
cover. This combination of calligraphy and image recreate part of the sentence:
(top) (sides)
Hana ni naku uguisu, mizu ni sumu kawazu no koe o kikeba, ikitoshi ikeru mono,
izureka, uta o yomazarikeru
How could all the living creatures refrain from making poems when we hear
nightingales singing among the blossoms and the voices of frogs that dwell in
the water?

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