A Nanban box with three Portuguese figures

A rare, lacquered, polychrome, and gilt cylindrical shaped Namban box. Profusely decorated, it features three Portuguese figures in western attire characteristic of the 16th century, from which stand out the galligaskins (very loose trousers) and the tall hats. A river, together with cherry blossoms (Sakura), both popular motifs towards the end of the Edo Period and overtly used on Kosode[1], supplement the container ornamental composition.

            On the cover surface, a group of four adjacent squares, one enclosing a Cross of Christ, and the others what might correspond to a local interpretation of a possibly Portuguese geometrized armorial shield, framed by a border of stylized cherry blossoms.

Even though some of these decorative elements allude to the 16th century period, when the Portuguese had just landed in Japan, others became popular in the 1860s, as expressions of the collective memories of Japanese artisans’ experiences during the Sakoku[2], in a marked fusion between western and eastern art.

            The Edo Period was defined by the circulation of lacquer work’s artistic techniques through the Japanese regions that did not carry such tradition. The Edo Shogunate capital city, modern day Tokyo, would eventually accommodate the Daimyo urban homes, in the areas surrounding the castle, and consequently the various lacquer artisans’ workshops that would turn this city into the evident rival of Kyoto, the Imperial capital.