Japanese lacquer coffer

This early Edo period (1603-1867) Japanese coffer is probably manufactured for export to Batavia (Jakarta) or Holland. The coffer is overall decorated in ‘maki-e’ (蒔絵, literally: sprinkled picture) technique with gold powder. Just like the lock plate, the corners have gilded copper protections, pierced with a pearl shaped pattern and floral motifs. On the front we can see two geese on the side of a pond. The left side of the front has a beautiful decoration with an oak tree carrying large leaves and acorns in it. The left side of the coffer is decorated with normal flowering grasses. On the right side of the coffer there is something unusual; this side is decorated with palm trees which is (according to us) never been seen before. On the lid there is a large rooster displayed with relief (called ‘taka’ 研出), and finished with copper red powder. The lid is attached to a strap on the inside preventing the top to collapse. The inside is done with gold sprinkles (called ‘nashiji’ 梨子地).

Condition: Losses and wear to the lacquer, somewhere repatched and retouched. One round brace/knob of one handle is replaced. Please note that Japanese export lacquer is very fragile and every piece in very good condition in museums or private collections has been professionally restored.
Reference: A comparable larger example was in the possession Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, located in the library of Chalet de Ferrières from baron and baroness de Rothschild.

A comparable example right below 
Source: theartoftheroom.com
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Export lacquer from Japan: black gold.
By T.M. (Toussaint) Verkoulen

Lacquered items were first recorded in Japan over 6,000 years ago. The oldest ‘urushi’ found in Japan dates from the early Jomon period (c. 4000-3000 B.C.). The black lacquer that the Japanese call urushi is actually the gummy sap of a special tree called ‘Rhu verniciflua‘ (Japanese; urushi). When this sap is painted onto wood, it dries to a shiny, hard and binding finish. Already centuries before Christ there existed advanced techniques of mixing pigments and of applying different urushi colors but usually it is (and was) black. Urushi is very vulnerable; changes in climate, ultraviolet and dust are finest for the object. There are almost no urushi export objects known that are in perfect state without being restored.
Maki-e is a technique which originates from the Heian period (794-1185) for lacquer ware decoration, in which designs are made by sprinkling sticky metal or color powder in soft lacquer or directly on wood. Maki-e objects were first made as household goods for court nobles, but also military leaders became purchasers of Japanese lacquer. The exceptional skill that is practiced for centuries makes the Japanese lacquer from a far higher quality than Chinese lacquer. The first missionaries in Japan liked maki-e so much that they decided to use this technique to make things for their churches. Picture frames or bible stands were made with the maki-e technique. By 1549, the Japanese received a rare chance to export urushi to Europe through missionary work. The first larger scale Japanese export lacquer had been made on order for the Portuguese in the so called ‘Nanban’ style. These chests and coffers were inlayed with pearlshell (called ‘raden’ 螺鈿). The Portuguese were the first Europeans in Japan by 1543. In the 16th century, the Japanese termed Europeans and foreigners as ‘Nanban’, meaning "southern barbarians." Despite Europe being west of Japan, this label originated from the Chinese view of southern foreigners as uncivilized. This term was broadened and copied by the Japanese culture, leading to foreigners being referred to as "Nanban" by Japanese citizens. The costly southern barbarian lacquerware, adored by Europeans, was crafted for about 50 years during Japan's Momoyama era (1573-1615). However, when Japan shut its borders during the Edo period (1615-1868), the production of this type of lacquerware ceased.

The first Japanese lacquer ordered by the Dutch East India Company arrived in The Netherlands in 1610, presumably all of it pieces in the ‘Nanban’ style until the late 1630’s. The Japanese lacquer was not as popular in the Netherlands as for example in Portugal. The East India Company had difficulties with selling these expensive objects on auctions. In the late 1630’s or beginning of the 1640’s a new style of Japanese export lacquer was invented called ‘pictorial’. These lacquer objects were not inlayed with pearl shell and had different decorations in a more spatial composition. Also, the intricate geometric borders and abstracted motifs made place for floral and landscape decorations. After 1641, the Dutch were the only Europeans left to trade with Japan and had settled on the artificial island of Deshima in the bay of Nagasaki. It is highly possible that the Dutch East India Company had stimulated the production of lacquer in pictorial style, because these objects sold better at auctions in The Netherlands. The Dutch had more interest in recognizable and realistic scenes, which we can also see in the popularity of Chinese transition porcelain and the naturalistic way of painting during the Dutch golden age. By the end of the 17th century, lacquer from Asia became very popular but remained costly. Also the Chinese lacquer gained popularity. In 1670, English craftsmen were sent to China to teach Chinese artisans how to make objects that would be suitable for sale in Europe. John Stalker and George Parker published the “Treatise of Japanning” in 1688. This was a kind of guidebook with instructions and patterns how to make varnishing and lacquering in the Oriental style. In Europe and America this locally produced “Japanned” furniture became more and more popular. By the 18th century, it became more simple for craftsmen to develop their own methods and materials for obtaining the appearance of original Chinese and Japanese lacquer due to such publications.

Source: M.M. Rinne “The Story of "Southern-Barbarian Lacquerware" 1993.
The Getty conservation institute “Urushi, Proceedings of the Urushi Study Group”, 1985
C.J.A. Jörg “Japanese Export Lacquer for the Dutch Market”.
R. Mary Neighbour Parent, JAANUS.