Painted lacquerware in Asia is thought to have more than 3,000 years of history; originating in China and then later spreading to South East Asia, Korea, and Japan. One reason this craft has taken centuries to perfect is that the sap of the tree used is highly toxic and irritating to the skin and to the lungs. Even minor contact with the raw materials can cause serious issues, making collecting and refining it quite labor intensive...

An antique Japanese Katana Small Chest and Stand made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. Original hand forged iron with cat bronze hardware and Urushi lacquer finish. Upper area holds 4 Katana and lower section has a locking bar with key that secures 4 small drawers where polishing tools and Katana parts were kept. Note: Katana is for example and display purposes only.

Age: Late Edo Period (1800-1850)

Dimensions: 18 3/8" Wide by 14 3/4" High by 11 1/4" Deep

Large natsume in black lacquer covered with gold powder (maki-e). Gold and silver snowflakes decoration in togidashi maki-e on nashi-ji background. The interior is made of dense nashi-ji lacquer.

The natsume is a tea box intended to contain matcha tea for the preparation of the tea ceremony. It is named for its resemblance to the natsume fruit, i.e. the jujube (also called the Chinese date). It is round, short and has a flat lid. It is often made of lacquer...

Small namban style chest with a semi-cylindrical lid made of black lacquered wood (urushi) with gold lacquer (maki-e) and inlaid with mother-of-pearl (raden).
Mon style decoration (family emblem) of ginkos and chrysanthemums framed by friezes alternating three grooves and mother-of-pearl inlays...

Small box of drawers in gold and silver lacquer background imitating tortoise shell. The decor is composed of volutes and phoenixes in light relief (Taka Maki-e) of gold and silver powders, mosaic detail of inlaid solid gold and silver tiny squares (kirikane). By transparency one distinguishes under the tortoiseshell the reflections of gold leaf. The fittings are finely chiseled with volutes...

Antique Japanese cylindrical hibachi made of bent suginoki (cryptomeria) and decorated with a maki-e lacquer scene of a family of chickens in a bamboo grove. The mother hen and two chicks look for food on the ground while their father rooster looks back at his third little chick. Bamboo details are made of inlaid shell and the background is flecked in gold. With a copper insert.

Age: Meiji/Taisho Period (early 20th century)

Dimensions: 7 5/8" high x 10 1/4" wide

Long suzuribako (calligraphy box) with nashiji lacquer background, plum tree decoration in a lake landscape in takamaki-e, kôrin maki-e and kirigane. The plum tree (ume), which blooms at the beginning of the year, announces spring. Its flower is a symbol of protection against demons. On the inner lid, decoration with seven flying birds near a coast with clouds...

Namban style chest with a semi-cylindrical lid made of black lacquered wood (urushi) with gold lacquer (maki-e) and inlaid with mother-of-pearl (raden).
Decorated with three main bands of floral motifs, middle surrounded by vertical bands of mother-of-pearl inlaid lozenges and framed by the hanashippô pattern (overlapping circles forming petals).
On the lied, acer (momiji) and plum tree flowers (ume)...

Antique Japanese round lacquered wood container decorated on both sides with a karakusa (octopus vine) pattern and blossoms around the central aoi mon of the Tokugawa shogunate. Gold lacquer on a dark brownish black ground. Possible for archer bow strings.

Age: Edo Period (1603-1867)

Dimensions: 3 3/4" wide diameter x 1 3/4" deep

Antique Japanese small lacquer safe box with hinged door and 3 small interior drawers. Decorated on all sides including the drawer fronts with detailed harakusa (octopus vine) design in fine maki-e lacquer on a dense nashiji ground. The drawers are covered on all sides in fine nashiji gold flakes. Hardware is made of silver and incised with a similar scrolling vine motif.

Age: Edo Period (1603-1868)

Dimensions: 3 1/4" high x 3" wide x 5 3/4" deep

Koi frolic, splashing gold and silver waves as they leap and battle for the top of this stacking food dish dating from the later 19th century. The design is striking! Outside is polished black loaded down with gold and silver maki-e with applied kirigane cut gold squares. Inside is festive red. The box (assembled) is 25 x 23 x 38 cm (10 x 9 x 15 inches). Some minor dings but overall, very nice condition for something which has seen use.

Maki-e Cranes soar and a gilded tortoise takes refuge on a rock on this magnificent sake set made of wood covered in lacquer with elaborate maki-e and applied gold designs. About the edge of the stand is a solid silver rim. The scenes are depicted with powdered gold and applied gold kirigane on red and black grounds. This is of the highest quality. The largest cup is about 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter...

A sake set in the shape of a cha-usu tea powder grinding stone consisting of 7 pieces, each uniquely decorated with various creatures. The widest is a large sake cup decorated with cranes upon which rests the hai-dai stand, forming the base of the grinding stone. The cover is in the shape of the grinding stone itself, and forms a deep cup decorated inside with a hawk. Inside this are found three concentric cups decorated with crows, a carp and sparrows...

Antique Japanese fine lacquered kogo box for holding incense. Comprised of 3 stacking compartments, the lower of which has a gilt copper lining. The overall shape is that of a textile knot (musubi) with ornate patterns in gold takamaki-e on black and nashiji lacquer. The sides of the box are further decorated with a landscape of trees on a rocky outcropping, a village of thatched roof huts, and low hills near a lake, all on a fine nashiji ground. With signed kiri wood tomobako...

Antique Japanese safe box with hinged door and 3 interior drawers. The outside is beautifully decorated all over with raised gold and colored lacquer scenes of birds and morning glories, grape vines, and pomegranates on a black lacquer ground. The door opens to reveal drawers decorated with butterflies on a nashiji ground...

An antique Japanese rare 2 section Butsudan (Buddhist Altar) hand made with elaborate Makie lacquerwork. Upper section has two large hinged doors decorated with a blooming Peony tree. The interior of the doors each feature a Buddhist diety, one holding a mushroom scepter with a Baku at his feet and the other studying a horizontal scroll with a Shishi (Foo dog) at his feet. Below the doors are three small drawers where Buddhist accoutrements were stored. The interior was lacquered in gold.
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Black lacquer box decorated with butterflies and flowers in red, green and yellow lacquer. Detail in powdered gold lacquer and kirikane (small gold square.) Curiously there are only 2 elements in yellow lacquer, a butterfly and a flower. No signature. Good condition, no restoration. Slight wear and tear for a 19th century lacquer. I think that the drawer knobs have been replaced because they are simple and in copper alloy while the other mounts are in white metal which is probably silver. App...

A very rare Japanese lacquer cabinet made for the Dutch export. The quality of this model is very good and surpasses the usual cabinets of this period. The landscape decorations are very finely and artistically painted, notably the trees whose foliage is swayed by the wind. The frames of the panels are painted in the honeycomb style which requires a lot of work and precision and can only be found on high quality lacquers, to my knowledge there are only 2 other known "honeycomb" models of which I...