Description
Brown lacquer on a wood core with mother of pearl inlay. A shaped cartouche center panel in brown lacquer, framed in with a double line and set against a backdrop of diamond head cells. The gentle outwardly flaring upturned sides and chamfered corners partitioned in triangular sections decorated with a variety of cell grounds and divided by chrysanthemums heads. The based and underside in plain lacquer resting on serrated foot rim, the sides decorated in stylized floral scrolls.
A rectangular tray with almost identical decorative elements and dated between 1400 – 1500 resides in the collection the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. (Pictured)
A similar tray also with almost identical decorative elements was published in “An important collection of Chinese, Korean and Ryukyuan Lacquer” Michael C Hughes, 2006 (Pictured)
Japanese wooden box
An early Chinese Ming dynasty mother of pearl chrysanthemum tray. San Francisco Asian Art Museum