JAPON - ÉPOQUE AZUCHI MOMOYAMA (1573-1603) Lot n° 14

SMALL CABINET Japan for export (Portugal), Namban Art, late 16th century, early 17th century Black and gold lacquer, mother-of-pearl, Bronze patina H. 63.5 cm, W. 33 cm, D. 42 cm Some lacks Rectangular in shape, this precious cabinet opens with a lockable door in front revealing a seven-drawer interior. It is ornamented with foliage scrolls and vine flowers in reserves surrounded by friezes of stylised foliage. Two handles in Patina Bronze take place on the sides. The Momoyama period (1573-1603) was synonymous with Japan's openness to the world, and resulted in an increase in exchanges with the West, driven by a pronounced taste for exoticism. Part of the production of the lacquer craftsmen from China and Japan exported to Europe does not come from the oriental repertoire but responds to European orders to meet the tastes of Westerners. As an example, we can mention several Nanban chests and cabinets in the inventory after the death of Cardinal de Richelieu. This cabinet is a perfect testimony of Nanban art, which refers to a Japanese art of the 16th and 17th centuries influenced by numerous contacts with the Nanban (literally barbarians of the South), that is to say the merchants and Jesuit missionaries coming from Europe and more particularly from Portugal. The term Nanban was used to refer to foreigners arriving by boat from the South and whose manners were considered barbaric by the Japanese. These lacquers are characterized by the density of their decoration which is quite atypical for Japanese lacquers, traditionally more refined. They are also distinguished in particular by the use of mother-of-pearl, a very popular technique at that time. The predominance of mother-of-pearl on these Japanese lacquers is considered to be the consequence of Korean imports but also the result of the influence of Indian objects bought by the Portuguese in Goa.