165 - † A RARE EARLY ASHIDE LACQUER AKODA KORO (INCENSE BURNER) WITH IZUTSU

† A RARE EARLY ASHIDE LACQUER AKODA KORO (INCENSE BURNER) WITH IZUTSU Japan, 17 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of melon-shaped form, bearing a lustrous kinji ground finely decorated in gold takamaki-e and hiramaki-e with scattered leaves and stylized characters in ashide (hidden writing), further embellished with iridescent aogai (mother-of-pearl), kirigane flakes, and e-nashiji. One side depicts an izutsu (well curb) amid grasses, alluding to the celebrated episode of the Ise monogatari. The domed gilt-metal cover is finely pierced and chased with overlapping leaves and a further character. The interior of metal. DIAMETER 7 cm Condition: Excellent condition with minimal wear. With a wood tomobako (storage box) inscribed Ashide koro, Ishikawa Soeki shoji, 阿し手香炉、石川宗益所持 ('Ashide incense burner, formerly owned by Ishikawa Soeki'), and an old wood tag inscribed Jidai ashide makie, 時代葦手蒔絵 ('Old ashide maki-e lacquer'). The izutsu (well curb) refers to the famous episode of the tenth-century Ise monogatari (Tales of Ise), in which two childhood companions measure their heights beside a village well before eventually marrying. The motif became a poetic symbol of enduring love, memory, and the passage of time, later immortalized in Zeami's celebrated Noh play Izutsu. The present composition cleverly incorporates ashide (hidden characters) into the decoration, reinforcing its sophisticated literary allusion. The distinctive melon-shaped akoda-koro, often fitted with pierced metal covers, represents an early tradition of Japanese lacquer incense burners particularly associated with the Momoyama and early Edo periods. Museum comparison: Compare a related early 17th-century lacquer akoda koro with paulownia, diameter 11.1 cm, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2015.500.2.26a, b. Auction comparison: Compare a related late 17th-century lobed lacquer koro decorated with clematis and plum crests, at Sotheby's, New York, 16 September 2008, lot 284 (sold for USD 6,875 or approx. EUR 9,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.