Chest
Namban Art (Momoyama Period)
Lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl inlay
Late 16th century
15.4 cm (H) x 23 cm (W) x 13 cm (D)
From the Socorro Church, Funchal
MASF345
Chest made in Japan for the Portuguese market, wood with black lacquer (urushi) with gold decoration (makiye) and mother-of-pearl inlay (raden).
It has the form of a small chest with a convex lid, in which the end pieces rise and follow the form of the lid.
The edges have their own border, which has a geometric motif, setting off the decorative panels, which have a theme based on nature, representing bell-flowers.
The lid is decorated with branches, among which appear two birds in flight. The copper hinges are the original ones, but the original lock on the front of the chest is missing, being replaced in the 17th-18th centuries by another one of engraved and cut-out silver, with the upper part representing a closed crown, while the plate contains a suggestion of sugar loaves(?), which can be related to the coat of arms of the City of Funchal.
This chest is similar to others that are found in various public and private collections in Portugal1. It has been included in national exhibitions2.
1 Os Construtores do Oriente Português, ed. Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, Porto, 1998, cat. 105, p. 339.
2 Encontro de Culturas, Oito Séculos de Missionação Portuguesa, Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora, Lisboa, Julho-Dezembro de 1994, cat. XVII. 416, p. 360.
|
