A NANBAN CABINET EDO PERIOD, 17TH CENTURY |

the rectangular chest with the rare construction of twelve drawers surrounding a central architectural drawer, without a drop front, decorated in gold hiramaki-e on a black ground and inlaid in mother-of-pearl with panels of birds among scrolling foliage, elaborate gilt metal kanagu

There is some replacement to the mother of pearl in the borders and there is some japanning on the drawers done in the West. Overall this sumptuous chest is in good condition. But with the amount of inlay and the dense decoration there are some areas of replaced pearl.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Europeans arrived in Japan at the end of the 16th century for trade and Jesuit Christian missionary work. To furnish the Christian churches in Japan and also for export, Japanese lacquer workers produced a variety of decorative lacquer chests, coffers, boxes and even beds, as well as religious ceremonial objects such as shrines, missal stands and host boxes. They were largely in European form but decorated with Japanese designs, sometimes incorporating Western patterns.  Namban lacquerwares were mainly decorated in gold hiramaki-e and shell inlay as in this present lot. Mother-of-pearl was used to reflect candlelight in dark interiors. Their design is related to Kodaiji lacquer, a style of lacquerware made in Kyoto during the late Momoyama and early Edo periods, which is characterised by designs of flowers and plants in gold hiramaki-e on a roironuri, or black ground.

This magnificent cabinet is part of an early group of Namban lacquer that arrived in Europe around 1600. Oliver Impey, Japanese Keeper at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, identified these as the chests without fall fronts as exemplified by the Ambras Cabinet inventoried in 1607. See Oliver Impey and Christiaan J. A. Jörg, Japanese Export lacquer 1580-1850 (Amsterdam, 2005) p.122, a further example in the Ashmolean Museum is illustrated pl.226 p.123.

For further information on lacquer caskets commissioned by Europeans, visit the British Museum website: 

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/travelling-chest-kamaboko-bako/AAHO2ocbtwu9Tg

For further reading on Nanban lacquerware, see James C. Y. Watt and Barbara B. Ford, East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Living Collection, (New York, 1991), pl. 169-173; and for the Nanban chests and coffers; Oliver Impey and Christian Jörg, Japanese Export lacquer 1580-1850 (Amsterdam, 2005), pp.147-158; and Teresa Canepa, The Trade of Japanese Lacquer to Europe and the New World in the Late 16th and Early 17th Centuries, Proceedings of the Japan Society, number 154, 2017, p.52