Edo period, late eighteenth/early nineteenth century.
Gold and coloured makie with lead inlay on a black lacquer roiro ground.
25 x 23 x 4.2 cm. Storage box dated 1830.
This design of a group of poppies recalls Nonomura Ninsei's late seventeenth design in overglaze and gold enamels for a tea storage jar. The composition, spreading from the base and over the lid, uses a striking combination ofhiramakie, takamakie and three-dimensional sections of lead inlay to infuse the scene with life. It is a design typical of the Rinpa style as revived in the latter part of the eighteenth century by Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828).
After the exuberance of its exterior, the interior of this suzuribako is a simple black lacquer roiro finish. A kidney-shaped gilt water dropper, engraved with floral sprays above a stream completes the understated contrast.
The tomobako records that 'the box had much insect damage' and was repaired by a craftsman named Shohei in Bunsei 13 (1830).