Look closely at the gold flowering branch worked across this bowl and one small detail stops you, a single petal isn't gold at all, it's shell, inlaid into the lacquer so it catches light the gold around it simply can't. That's raden, mother-of-pearl or abalone shell set directly into wet lacquer, a technique Japanese craftsmen have practiced since the Heian period and one reserved, historically, for pieces meant to do more than just hold up. Paired here with fine gold maki-e chrysanthemum and blossom work, it turns a simple keyaki wood bowl into something considerably harder to make than it looks. The bowl itself keeps the same full, rounded profile as the others in this group, a fitted copper liner still seated inside from its working life as a charcoal hibachi, the wood's grain running warm and unbroken beneath the decoration.
At 11 inches across and 8 inches tall, it has real substance without being oversized, enough presence to anchor a console or a low table on its own. Set it where the light moves across it through the day, morning or late afternoon both work, and that single shell petal will do something a photograph can't quite capture.
*Era: Antique
*Dimension: 11"(Diameter) x 8"(H)
*Material: Keyaki (Japanese elm) wood, copper liner
*Finish: Gold maki-e lacquer with raden (mother-of-pearl/shell) inlay, floral motif
*Condition: Wear consistent with age & use, blemishes and imperfections will be present. These are not to be considered defects but rather part of its character & historical value. Copper liner intact, raden inlay secure, maki-e shows minor age-appropriate wear.
An antique Japanese hibachi in keyaki (elm) wood with a fitted copper liner, decorated in gold maki-e florals accented with raden, inlaid mother-of-pearl or shell, a technique combination reserved for higher-quality Japanese lacquerware. 11 inches diameter, 8 inches tall.
Q&A:
What is that iridescent detail among the flowers? That's raden, mother-of-pearl or abalone shell inlaid directly into wet lacquer, a Japanese technique dating to the Heian period. It's commonly paired with gold maki-e on finer lacquerware, since both techniques require the lacquer to be worked in stages while wet, and the shell catches and shifts light in a way gold alone can't.
How does this compare to a simpler maki-e piece? The combination of maki-e and raden inlay represents more process and more skill than gold decoration alone, historically found on higher-quality lacquerware rather than simpler everyday pieces, which is reflected in both the visual detail and the value here.
• **Please bear in mind that colors of products shown may vary slightly from their original color due to monitor display settings or photography studio.
