JAPON PÉRIODE EDO, XVIIIe SIÈCLE

Rectangular maki-e, hiramaki-e and gold and silver kirigan lacquer incense box, housing a small tray and four small boxes. The lid and sides are decorated with a view of a palace complex with mountains in the background, consisting of several pavilions connected by galleries. The tray lacquered with an exotic bird perched on a tree in bloom against a background of shaded vaporous clouds. The four small interior boxes in the imitation of books with brocade covers animated with shells and fabulous animals, each titled and bound. The inside of the box and the cover in nashiji lacquer. Dim. 3,2 x 11,9 x 9 cm PROVENANCE Collection A.D., Prix de Rome. A very similar box in the collections of Queen Marie-Antoinette, kept in the collections of the Château de Versailles, inventory number MR380-15. NOTE Incense played an important role in the aristocratic society of ancient Japan. From the 9th century onwards, the aristocracy began to use incense in a secular context, using it to perfume the air as well as clothes and hair. In the 15th century, the Kodo or "Way of Incense" (like the "Way of Tea") codified the practice, and incense instruments and boxes multiplied. The aristocrats collected the essences of precious perfumed wood but also organized games where the participants had to recognize the fragrances composing certain incenses, those in connection with poetry or classics of literature such as the Tale of Genji. CONDITION REPORT Light wear