A RARE TSUIKOKU (CARVED BLACK LACQUER) KOGO (INCENSE... Lot n° 11

A RARE TSUIKOKU (CARVED BLACK LACQUER) KOGO (INCENSE BOX) AND COVER WITH CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND POEM Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of rounded square form, the cover neatly carved with two chrysanthemum blossoms amid craggy rockwork, reeds, and leaves, the chrysanthemum stigmas with fine nashiji, the upper right corner with raised characters reading ‘Pure and proud in frosty weather, fragrant (white chrysanthemum) flowers in autumn dew’, quoting a poem by the Qing-dynasty poet Xu Ting Heng, and with two raised seals, Kaan and U (Migi). The sides with foliage. The interior of both the box and cover with a roiro ground finely decorated in gold and colored takamaki-e with chrysanthemums amid dense grasses with dew drops and dragonflies. SIZE 2.7 x 9.1 x 9.1 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, expected minor age cracks, few tiny nicks and nibbles. Provenance: The Strong National Museum of Play, accession number 78.9885.B (lacquered to the base and interior rim). Margaret Woodbury Strong (1897-1969) grew up in a prosperous family of collectors. Her interests ranged so widely that by 1960 she had amassed more than 27,000 collectible items and works of art. The vast majority of her collections related in some way to play and as her accumulation grew, Margaret planned a museum to house her collection. It eventually opened to the public in 1982, and grew dramatically over the following decades, expanding its collections, facilities, and resources, now spanning over 285,000 square feet. Today, the Strong National Museum of Play (known as just The Strong Museum or simply The Strong) is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to the study of play. The full poem by Xu Ting Heng (active c. 1720) can be translated as follows: The western air can mold In bloom the hedgeside flowers. Your pure heart stands the cold; You’re spotless in late hours: Proud against frost and snow, Fragrant with autumn dew. Where will your white dress go? Wine is the poet’s due.