Box Maki-e Gilded Lacquered Wood Tengu Characters Japan Early XXth century

Lacquered wooden box with maki-e* decoration of two figures, two Tengu** with long noses, flying through the air, with a mountain at the bottom, from Japan, early 20th century.

This box is in good condition and of fine quality.
Please note: small stain on the lid (see last photo), some soiling, scratches and light wear, see photos.
* Maki-e represents the most sophisticated technique in lacquer art, a decorative process in which dust, gold or silver particles are delicately sprinkled over still-moist lacquer, usually black, to create the pattern. The powder encrusted between each layer of lacquer helps to make the decorations stand out by illuminating them. Maki-e itself has given rise to a host of techniques of its own. The first is without relief (togidashi maki-e). The second offers a slight relief (hiramaki-e). The third type of decoration, which appeared during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), is characterized by a strong relief (takamaki-e) obtained firstly by applying dry lacquer, charcoal or tin powders and then by applying a treatment identical to that of Hiramaki-e. One of the great beauties of lacquer is that it adorns objects as precious as they are everyday. Lacquer bowls and crockery have stood the test of time, as have boxes with multiple uses: document boxes, tea boxes, incense boxes, brush boxes, ink boxes, card boxes, medicine boxes, etc. (Extract from Proantic magazine).
** Tengu are a type of legendary creature from Japanese folk religion. Belonging to the yokai family, it is also considered a kami (or Shinto deity) reigning over mountains and forests. In art, tengu appear in a wide variety of forms, but they usually fall somewhere between a large monstrous bird and an entirely anthropomorphic being, often with a red face or an abnormally broad or large nose. The earliest depictions of tengu show them similar to kites that can take on human form, often with wings, a bird's head or a beak. The tengu's long noses seem to have been conceived in the 14th century, as a humanization of the original bird beak. The tengu's long noses link them with the Shinto deity Saruta-hiko.
Dimensions
Dimensions 25.8 cm x 18.6 cm / 3.3 cm

Reference : E10 728
All photos on :
www.antiques-delaval.com

Ref: UHBBTWC11K