A Fine Japanese Gold and Silver Lacquer Cosmetic Box (Tebako)

Edo period, 18th century

This angular tebako (手箱, cosmetics box) takes the shape of three overlapping fans to form a stacked, rectangular box. The surface is animated by shifting scale and texture, combining bold motifs with finely observed natural detail. Its fan motif continues around the box’s sides, where an animated procession of intricately decorated fans wraps around the perimeter. The design is enhanced by a series of detailed images, including defiant lions, soaring birds, flowing streams and lush foliage, which give the work a vibrant, luminous energy. These scenes are set against a magnificent nashiji (梨地, pear-skin) ground, named for its gently mottled texture. This decorative style is made by embedding fine gold flakes beneath translucent lacquer to produce a soft, evenly speckled glow. Often used for interiors and backgrounds, this nashiji provides visual richness that complements the box’s gold and silver takamaki-e and hiramaki-e decorations (raised and flat maki-e, 高蒔絵 and 平蒔絵). Maki-e is the most iconic and technically sophisticated Japanese lacquer technique. Designs are painted in wet urushi and sprinkled with gold or silver powder, then sealed and polished to create luminous imagery. Perfected during the Heian period (794–1185), maki-e became the pinnacle of courtly lacquer and later flourished in the Edo period for writing boxes such as this fine example. Maki-e is a painstaking process requiring phenomenal craftsmanship that can take months or even years to complete. Each part must be done sequentially and cured before subsequent steps can be executed, a process that needs excellent foresight and patience. 

This tebako includes an internal fitted tray decorated with a temple in a rich, verdant landscape. It is stored in a tomobako (共箱, wooden storage box).