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Painted Shells for Shell-Matching Game, Edo browse these categories for related items... All Items: Archives:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese: Pre 1837 VR: item # 174655 Please refer to our stock # 9-072 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book SOLD |
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| This rare pair of matched clam shell halves, decorated with color and gold pigment, date to the 18th or early 19th century. Part of the Japanese shell matching game, each shell is hand painted in Tosa style with three seated noblemen in a conventional Heian court 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. 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.) These two shell halves are original mates as can be seen from the photographs. Condition is excellent considering their age and usage, with only minor pigment and gilt loss. Provenance: ex. collection Louise Nevelson. Dimensions: Each shell is 3 1/4” x 2 5/8”. | ||||||||||||||
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