Lacquer Suzuribako with a design of sparrows by the water

Japan, late Edo or early Meiji period, 19th century

Black lacquer suzuribako, with gold decoration executed in takamaki-e and hiramaki-e on a lightly powdered nashiji ro-iro ground. The lid shows several sparrows flying above a small stream bordered by grasses, while in the foreground other birds are perched on bundles of grass. The design plays with great elegance on the contrast between the dark mass of the background, the luminous sinuosity of the stream, and the vivacity of the birds. The gold on black ground technique, particularly attractive here, belongs to one of the great languages of 19th-century Japanese lacquerware.

The inside of the lid features the same landscape, without the sparrows, while two birds are still present on the inner box. The compartmentalization can be removed in its lower part, and the decoration continues under this hidden section. This detail is important: it indicates particularly meticulous execution, where the decoration is conceived for the entirety of the object and does not stop at the immediately visible parts. Pieces preserved in Japanese collections clearly show that this interior decorative continuity is considered a sign of very high quality.

The box contains its inkstone with a gilded edge, as well as a small silver water dropper, placed in a silver corolla itself mounted on a gilded metal base. This refinement in the treatment of the suiteki and its support complements the richness of the lacquer decoration and reinforces the precious unity of the ensemble. The suzuribako has retained its period tomobako.

The subject of sparrows by the water is part of a long Japanese decorative tradition where birds, grasses, and streams create a lively, rhythmic, and immediately legible space. This type of composition, which associates the movement of the bird with the flow of water, finds several parallels in ancient suzuribako with river and bird designs, notably in works preserved at the Tokyo National Museum and the Kyoto National Museum.

With its very deep black background, its gold highlights, the quality of its decoration extending even into hidden parts, and the care taken with the interior elements, this suzuribako belongs to a fine production, which can be placed at the turn of the late Edo and early Meiji periods.

Dimensions: height 4.5 cm; width 22 cm; depth 23.5 cm.