A Nanban Kagamibuta

Masterart

Marketplace

Artworks

A Nanban Kagamibuta

Back to all artworks

A Nanban Kagamibuta

São Roque

Date 17th century(?)

Medium Lacquer, Mother-of-pearl, gold, Cryptomeria japonica(?)

Dimension 4 cm (1⁵/₈ inches)

Complementing the previous inrō we have a very rare and important Namban netsuke Kagamibuta, representing a Jesuit Priest.

From its shape, we may identify it as kagamibuta, literally ‘mirror cover’, reminiscent of a traditional round-shaped manju or sweet, since the upper part, usually in metal, resembles a mirror.

Made from lacquered wood, the upper ‘mirror’ of the present kagamibuta depicts an European in low-relief maki-e, with sprinkled silver powder for the skin and gold powder for the garments.

The physical appearance of the figure, a venerable old man, his pose and, above all, the presence of a crucifix in aogai mother-of-pearl hanging from his neck, strongly suggest the depiction of a Jesuit from the so-called ‘Christian century of Japan’.

The highest technical achievement as seen from lacquer decoration adds to its rarity, its uniqueness.

Date: 17th century(?)

Medium: Lacquer, Mother-of-pearl, gold, Cryptomeria japonica(?)

Dimension: 4 cm (1⁵/₈ inches)

Provenance: Elianor Nordskog collection; USA, Sydney Moss, England.

Literature: ‘Japanese Lacquer from South California collections’, 1991, p. 27; ‘The Elly Nordskog collection’, 2010, p. 364–365.

Exhibition: ‘Des Samourais aux Mangas, Missions Etrangeres de Paris’, Paris 2024 (cat. no. 22).

Discover the Gallery