OBJECTS
LACQUER
Fine and Rare Lacquered Footed Tray or Serving Stand (Takatsuki)
Japan, Edo period, circa 1800
Lacquered and gilded wood
H: 7 3/8 D: 14 1/8 inches
Provenance: made for the Hosokawa family, Kyushu, Higo Province
#A000029
This extremely fine lacquered serving stand is constructed with a wide circular tray with a dished top resting on three tall feet curled at the ends. It is designed in gold and silver miramaki-e on a nashiji ground with different varieties of chrysanthemum blossoms floating on a flowing stream and with crests of the Hosokawa family. The under edges of the tray are also patterned with flowers and flowing water. The underside of the circular tray surface and inner faces of the legs are decorated with nashiji. A label affixed to an accompanying wooden storage box documents that this piece was made for Hosokawa family, in whose possession it remained for centuries. The Hosokawa are one of the most ancient and noble families in Japan, tracing their descent for over seventeen centuries.
