Japanese Wajima-nuri｜Black-Lacquered Lidded Bowls with Gold Maki-e Autumn Grasses and Maple Leaf Design, Set of Five, with Original Wooden Box
This is a set of Wajima-nuri wood-core lacquer lidded bowls with a strong sense of traditional Japanese banquet aesthetics, a set of five. The whole group is keyed to a calm black lacquer, with plant motifs painted in gold, vermilion, orange and other warm tones across the bodies and lids. The deep black lacquer ground sets off the gold and the autumn-leaf colors, making the patterns striking while preserving the dignified character particular to Wajima lacquerware. The most beautiful aspect is the sense of completeness created when the five lidded bowls are arranged together. The center of each lid uses a deeper black as a background, encircled by gold and orange-vermilion plant motifs; the waist of each body retains a broad, more restrained band of golden brown, joined to the black lower half by a wave-like contour. The overall effect is not full-surface gold, but rather deliberately leaves ample black and plain space. So even though the decoration is quite strong, it never appears excessively ornate. The leaf forms clearly draw on maple-leaf and autumn-grass motifs, and the palette, dominated by golden yellow and vermilion-orange, naturally calls to mind the Japanese autumn landscape. Combined with the high-footed bowl form, they carry all the more the air of vessels for traditional Japanese cuisine, kaiseki and festive banquets.
