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Japanese Carved Boxwood Tea Tray in Lotus Leaf Form browse these categories for related items... All Items: Antiques:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese:Wood: Pre 1920: item # 847987 Please refer to our stock # 11-359 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book $595 |
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This wonderfully detailed tea tray has been realistically carved from a single piece of boxwood in the form of a curled lotus leaf. Meiji period (1868-1912). The close-grained hardwood has a rich, deep brown color and a soft dark patina reflecting many years of careful use and care. The front depicts the top of an open lotus leaf with curled outer edges, including the upper and lower edges which are completely folded over the top. A beautifully rendered stem peaks out from beneath the leaf. The lightly chiseled top surface is covered with incised leaf veins which radiate from the center. The reverse side is also beautifully sculpted, with carved swirling patterns radiating around the stem and gracefully curling to the outer edges of the leaf. Wooden serving trays of this type were important accessories in senchado (“the way of sencha”) -- the tea ceremony developed in the Edo period using sencha tea. The lotus (“hasu”) is a water flower that rises above large fan-shaped leaves, growing in still, shallow bodies of fresh water and mud. Buddhist traditions hold that the lotus is a sacred flower. In secular Chinese art, the lotus has many auspicious meanings, variously symbolizing harmony, love, sympathy and prosperity. Boxwood, the hardwood of choice for Japanese carvers, is usually carved into smaller items such as netsuke and okimono, so a boxwood carving in this size is quite unique and rare. CONDITION is excellent, with no chips, cracks or damage. DIMENSIONS: 14 ¼” (36.2 cm) x 11” (28 cm) by 1 ½” (3.8 cm) deep. |
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