Beschreibung:

A lacquer writing box ( suzuribako ) and matching stationery box ( ryoshibako )
EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY)
A lacquer writing box ( suzuribako ) and matching stationery box ( ryoshibako ) Edo period (19th century) Each of the boxes designed with motifs from the chapter Hatsune ("The First Warbler") from the tenth-century novel the Tale of Genji showing the veranda of the Rokujo Mansion surrounded by a lush garden and pond, the first characters of a poem beginning hatsune embedded into the imagery in gilt metal in ashide-e (reed-picture) technique and a pair of gilt-metal warblers inlaid; the stationery box elaborately lacquered in gold and silver takamaki-e and a variety of embellishments, including rectangular strips of gold foil on the roof, togidashi pond, kirigane , inlaid silver blossoms for the plum tree and gold okibirame background, all continuing onto the sides of the box with further gilded warblers, gold camellias, pond, bridges, a fence and rocks, the underside of the cover ornamented with a maple tree and stands of chrysanthemums with blossoms of inlaid silver against a nashiji ground continued in the lower interior; the writing box decorated en suite with gilded warblers, the kanji characters hatsune and fitted with a knife, paper pricker, ink-stick holder and two brushes lacquered to match the okibirame grounds of the writing and stationery boxes and mounted in silver cast with autumn flowers, also fitted with a slate inkstone with fundame rim, a removable tray and a silver waterdropper cast with florets and parcel gilt set into a silver and gilt-silver double saucer; rims of both boxes silver Writing box 10 1/8 x 8¾ x 1¾in. (25.7 x 22.2 x 4.5cm.) Stationery box 16 5/8 x 13½ x 6in. (42.2 x 34.3 x 15.2cm.)