A SUPERB LACQUER SUZURIBAKO DEPICTING A CORMO... Lot n° 34

A SUPERB LACQUER SUZURIBAKO DEPICTING A CORMORANT Japan, 19th century Of rectangular form with rounded corners, bearing a lustrous nashiji ground finely decorated on the cover with iro-e hiramaki-e, togidashi-e, and some kirigane flakes to depict a cormorant standing on a rock next to a wavy ocean. The interior of the cover similarly worked depicting a waterfowl in a lotus pond. The box covered in sparse nashiji, the interior decorated with a lotus pond and fitted with a removable ita (baseboard), suzuri (inkstone) and a cushion. SIZE 25.9 x 22.4 x 4.6 cm Condition: Excellent condition with only very minor wear and a very slight area of warping to the cormorant on the cover. Provenance: The Kura, Kyoto . Collection of James and Christine Heusinger, acquired from the above, the interior with an old collector’s note. A copy of the old invoice from the Kura addressed to James Heusinger, dated 7 April 2007 with the purchase price of USD 5,000, accompanies this lot. James and Christine Heusinger started collecting Japanese art in the late 1970s. Their collection began with a modest piece by Seifu Yohei III and expanded to over 100 pieces. They donated the majority of their pieces to the Cleveland Museum of Art, which now houses the most important collection of ceramics by the Seifu Yohei studio. While their collection was mostly focused on modern Japanese ceramics, they also had a fondness for lacquer, purchasing select pieces from noted dealers such as Grace Tsumugi and Sharen Chappel. With a fitted tomobako storage box applied with a Japanese label reading “cormorant suzuribako”.