Japanese Lacquered Kodansu Table Cabinet - Meiji Period

This striking black & gold Japanese kodansu table cabinet dates from the Meiji period (1868 €“ 30 Jul 1912) and is in excellent condition.

The artwork on this kodansu is of very high quality. The doors are richly decorated with large peacocks and butterflies within an outdoor scene. The metal mounts are intricately engraved in Karakusa. Kodansu like these were made for export to The Western market. The Meiji era was a period of great change in Japan as it opened its ports to the West and transitioned from a feudal society to a modern nation-state. An appetite for Japonisme seized the West and as the foreign market grew the Meiji government actively promoted and funded the production and export of Japonisme work. Very few of the most outstanding works like this cabinet remained in Japan as they were mostly exported. 

 

The lacquer is in good condition for its age and gold has been applied using the maki-e technique of sprinkling gold powder onto the lacquer design whilst wet. 

 

There are six small internal drawers and one large, each with original handles. The inner doors and drawers feature elegant floral artwork on a speckled orange background.

Dimensions: 

36 x 17 x 38 (wxdxh cms)

Doors Open: 62 (wcm)

 

From Japan

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