Japanese Lacquer Writing Box, ca. 1900
VALUE (2022) | $15,000 Auction
Appraiser
Lark E. Mason
Lark Mason Associates
APPRAISED VALUE (2022)
$10,000 - $15,000 Auction
Event
Boise, ID (2022)
Date Range
19th Century, 20th Century
GUEST: My friend Linda...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: ...who is now 81, gifted this to me about five or six years ago. Her father traveled extensively, and, uh, the late '60s, early '70s. And he went to Japan, and he went to the factory where this was produced, and that's where it was purchased.
APPRAISER: The factory that this was bought in was in Japan, and it was a factory that actually manufactured lacquer, lacquer wares. But what they also did is, they sold antique lacquer objects.
GUEST: Okay. That is what this is. (whispers)
APPRAISER: Yes. So this was not manufactured by them.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: It was sold by them. So that's one part.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Now, the second part is just the stunning decoration. You can see the cranes, and then you can see the sky and the waves. There's a variety of gold and silver. All of this is accentuated by the black ground, which is lacquer. Cranes represent in Japan, and throughout Asia, long life and happiness and success. So this is a Japanese lacquer writing box and table, and it dates to around 1900. You can see inside the case, you've got an ink cake stick at the bottom over here. There are several brushes that are lacquer.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: You have a little silver container at the top for other implements. And in the center of it, also, is the ink stone. What we see is just this mix of skills of a silversmith, lacquer workers, the people that designed this scene, that came together to create truly what is a masterwork. What do you think it's worth?
GUEST: There was a receipt.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: When he purchased it, he paid around $2,200, U.S. dollars, for it.
APPRAISER: That was a lot of money in 1966.
GUEST: Yeah, '66 is when he bought it. And so, well, I would hope it has doubled in value, that would be nice.
APPRAISER: The Japanese market has been very interesting. What we had is a peak of the market in the late '80s, early '90s, and a gradual diminution in interest...
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: ...up to where we are now. But because this is so extraordinary...
GUEST: Ah.
APPRAISER: ...it's going to do a little bit more than what you thought. I think that in an auction situation, this would realize somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000.
GUEST: Wow, wow! Blows my mind!
APPRAISER: (laughs)
GUEST: (chuckles) Really? Oh. Well, I don't know what to say.
APPRAISER: (laughs)
GUEST: (chuckles) Wow! That's wonderful.
