Decorated in gold hiramaki-e and takamaki-e against a black lacquer ground with a profusion of chrysanthemum flowers, the black lacquer interiors with a blossoming mandarin branch (tachibana) to the inside cover, the base black lacquer, lead rims
7.7 x 7.7 x 3 cm. (3¹⁄₈ x 3¹⁄₈ x 1¹⁄₄ in.)

Charles A. Greenfield Collection, no. 8.
Sotheby's, London, Very Fine Japanese Lacquer Wares, 6th October 1971, Lot 12.
Christie's, New York, Japanese Art Including Property of The Metropolitan Museum of Art,, 28th March 2006, Lot 380.

Harold P. Stern, The Magnificaent Three: Lacquer, Netsuke and Tsuba, Selections from the Collection of Charles A. Greenfield, exh. cat., (New York, 1972), no. 26 (Boxes).
Andrew J. Pekarik, Japanese Lacquer, 1600-1900: Selections from the Charles Greenfield Collection, exh. cat., (New York, 1980), fig. 22.
Eskenazi Ltd., The Charles A. Greenfield Collection of Japanese Lacquer, (London, 1990), no. 13, p. 48-49.

Japan House Gallery, New York, The Magnificent Three: Lacquer, Netsuke and Tsuba, Selections from the Collection of Charles A. Greenfield, 1972.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), New York, Japanese Lacquer, 1600-1900: Selections from the Charles Greenfield Collection, 1980.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie's Inc

Brought to you by

Lot Essay

The seasonal association with the chrysanthemum would make this incense box suitable for an early autumn tea ceremony. In Chinese, the flower is known as ju, sounding closely to the number nine, jiu. As chrysanthemums come into bloom in the ninth lunar calendar month, the flowers are seen as auspicious, conforming both linguistically and astrologically with their season. After heating charcoal for a kettle, the host of the ceremony would add a piece of fragrant wood kept in a small lacquer box. The incense box itself was not purely functional, and could be passed around to the guests for their aesthetic appreciation. Similarly, the box could also be kept on display in the alcove (tokonoma) of the tearoom.