Japanese Lacquered‑Wood Portable Zushi Shrine with Gilt‑Bronze Mounts

拍品描述

Dimensions: Height 24 cm (9.45 in). Width 10 cm (3.94 in). 18th-19th century. Condition and Provenance: This wooden, black lacquered shrine is structurally sound and intact. The black lacquer is well-preserved. The dome shows slight wear due to age, with minor peeling of the lacquer. The complete set of gilded bronze fittings retains its original gilding, but the edges show natural fading and wear. The original side hinges move freely. All metal rivets are original parts. There are no signs of later alterations or modern touch-ups. The main body has no cracks or missing materials. This is a well-preserved Japanese antique portable ancestral shrine, a rare example of its provenance. It came from a private collector in San Francisco, California, and was later sold by an East Asian Buddhist antiques gallery in Bangkok. It has always been kept in a professional, light-proof cabinet for private viewing only, never consigned for auction, and has no record of public exhibition. Description: This portable Japanese lacquered wooden naginata shrine has a wooden core covered with a deep black lacquer. It is an upright, slender cylinder with a domed top and double folding doors with original metal hinges for easy access and storage of Buddhist statues. The doors are inlaid with a complete set of gilded bronze fittings. These fittings are crafted using intricate openwork carving techniques, engraving complex scrollwork patterns on a dotted background. The central gilded lock and the segmented decorations at the top and bottom create a rich, multi-layered ornamentation. The glossy black lacquer contrasts sharply with the shimmering gilded metal fittings. Such naginata shrines were once carried by Japanese devotees to enshrine sacred Buddhist statues. A well-preserved naginata shrine with all gilded bronze fittings intact is extremely rare. It holds significant value for the study of Japanese religious folklore, the appreciation of arts and crafts, and for private collections.

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