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Hello all, first post here -although ive dealt with Mr. Combs through the ID ASSIST a number of times. Shout out to Peter, thanks for all you do! So my first post promises to be a doozy! I think it’s quite a rare type of object. I found it in a box of broken items at our local flea market, luckily wrapped in newspaper so it stayed protected. (I ALWAYS check the throw away piles!) I’ve had it for a few months on my shelf with a small Buddha on it. Didn’t really think much about it until I stumbled on a similar carved piece researching in my auction catalogs. Then started digging around on the internet and realized just how special this piece may be, and I mean incredibly rare. Others I’ve seen with similar flower and symbol carvings, but not with this type of shell piece work. It’s just incredible. Possibly a Buddhist related item? Is that a mandala on the shell side? It’s 6-1/2” L and 3/4” H. A couple really small dings, but id say overall in excellent untouched original condition. Love to here if somebody has seen another, or has any opinions on it. Aloha! ~SurfCollector
@Ken Ashburn,
Hi Ken,
Firstly welcome to this great forum!
Unfortunately I know nothing about these types of wares. It looks to have some age and is carved well. Nice find imo.
I do hope one of our members can enlighten us all.
Mark
Hello Ken,
Welcome what an interesting item. Is it flat? Could it be a cover or Lid ? The non mother of pearl side looks Japanese to my eye. The lacquer work is nicely carved and undercut gives a feeling of depth and shadow. Looks to have quality and some age. Sorry can't be of more help.
Michael
Definitely Chinese as I’ve located a few other examples in museum collections identified as such. Not any type of lid, shows no wear that would indicate that, worn sides, etc. . It is flat. One shell has a small hole, can see the wood core under magnification.
Hi,
What an exciting thing to find! I can also see why Michael thinks Japanese, there is something about it but I am not sure it is.
I also know little about these things,l'm afraid. I am also still using a small screen which doesn't help! However, may I respectfully say that I find the mother of pearl decoration lacks the exquisiteness of the very early Song / Yuan pieces. There doesn't seem to be a point or relevance to the design. To my mind, from the photos this could have been made anywhere between 1850 and 1950.
Partly, I say that because it is hard to find its purpose, if it doesn't have one, it must have been made because it was a fashionable or desirable display item, but lacking an expensive, detailed decoration in mother of pearl, was it made for the ordinary man or woman on the street ie at a time when even the less well off might want to have something for the sake of it? Could it simply be a decorative table screen?
I am more thinking out loud as this is such an intriguing object and fully expect to be proved wrong. But that is fine, it is good to learn.
Last thing, can you tell something about the age from the chipped areas? What I mean is, is there a correlation with certain depth of laquer before one gets to the wood and period of manufacture? Should layers be visible?
It would be interesting to know.
Julia
The reason I think from Japan is the pattern's in the center of the carved flowers. Taken from very old designs on Japanese textiles and bamboo woven thatch they have used on pottery, porcelain and lacquer. They have their roots in the Buddhist culture imported into Japan in the 9thc from Korea. But I have been wrong before and will no doubt be wrong again.
Michael.
The carving reminds me of that on the large Japanese bamboo brush pots I have, that I mentioned the other day.
And of course, the Japanese did do a lot of black .lacquered pieces.
Mahalo for the reply’s! Firstly I must disclose ive a bit more experience than most handling these wares. They are as common to find here in Hawaii as say your Pyrex or Correlle would be on the mainland! Every garage sale and thrift store has boat loads. They cant give it away. Mostly Japanese, which is almost always decorated with paint work or “dusted” with gold or silver. We see some Korean, which is also painted but also uses alot of shell inlay. Chinese is somewhat more uncommon, and we find that mostly CARVED. The older black lacquer pieces ive seen with similar carvings all documented as Chinese.
I think its more than a simple decorative object, leaning towards a Buddhist alter or shrine implement. Shows alot of wear around the mandala (an important Buddhist symbol). Like something was placed on and off the area many times. Its definitely a stand for something, as i stated i just placed a small bronze buddha on it when i added it to my shelf and thought it married well!
There is a similar piece in a local museum collection, identical in shape, size and similar carved decoration.
Hi Ken - and as with others above, welcome to this great forum ...
A nice item and interesting find which, from the images, seems to have some age ...
Not really my area but I have seen the different central flower patterns used as base ground designs on late 15th to 17th C Ming dynasty lacquers, but never within the blossoms themselves, which are always carved/depicted ‘naturally’ ...
Whether this is Japanese, as Michael has suggested and/or a rather later piece, as preposed by Julia, I lack the knowledge to say ...
I also would be inclined to ask Peter for his thoughts on this piece ...
Stuart
@surfcollector Do you have any pictures of the museum piece you referred to? It would be nice to compare them.
Hi Johnshoe yes ive attached an image in my last reply above. Now after looking at it again in the sun today, its got a unique rhinoceros horn tone color. Here are a few really interesting snippets i found online. Good information.
A couple more pics. Can really see the old finish checking from this angle. Really appreciate the time you folks out there take to look, and reply. I hope to do the same for others here when im able to. Im going to acquire a book or 2 on the subject and see what i can dig up as well.
One more.
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