This series of ten matched clam shell halves, decorated with color and gold pigment, date to the early 19th century. Part of the Japanese shell matching game, each shell is hand painted and decorated with applied gold leaf. Five of the shells are painted in Tosa style -- four contain scenes of noblemen and women in conventional Heian court dress and the fifth contains a court garden scene. These lovely miniature paintings incorporate elements long associated with the Tosa school, such as the Heian-style court dress and the open-roof scene shown from a bird’s-eye view with misty gilt cloud formations in the corners. The five remaining shells display various personal and decorative items such as fans, inro and umbrellas. There is low relief embossing on the gold leaf framework in brocade designs on each of the shells.
Shell-matching (“kai-awase”) was a popular amusement of the Edo period, and its equipment was often included in the suite of lacquer furniture that was part of the bridal trousseau of a daimyo lady. Each half of a shell was decorated with an identical miniature painting based on a scene derived from Japanese classical literature. The “Tale of Genji” and other romances were the most common sources of imagery. A complete set comprised 360 shells. The game was basically a test of memory: one set of shell halves was placed face down on the floor, and as shells from the second set were removed face up from an octagonal shaped lacquer container (“kaioke” or “shell bucket”), competitors took turns inverting shells to see if images matched. Since each side of the bivalve shells will match properly with only its original mate, the game came to be associated with marital fidelity. (See “Edo: Art in Japan 1615-1868” by Robert T. Singer.)
Overall CONDITION of the shells is quite good considering their age and usage. The shells themselves are all intact with no chips or cracks. There is some minor pigment and gilt loss on six shells and some lifting of the gold leaf on four shells. These antique game shells are becoming increasingly difficult to find. DIMENSIONS: Approximately 3 3/8” (8.6 cm) x approximately 2 ¾” (7 cm).
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