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Lidded lacquer box, originally made for storing shells for the shell game. Decorated with raised gold makie designs of the Tokugawa family crest on black lacquer background, engraved gilt bronze hardware. A: Lacquered wood square box has bentwood corners, horizontal ridges around outside body, 4 legs attached to the middle of each side widen at the bottom, black lacquered interior, exterior including legs have an all over painted gold design of cherry blossoms framed by a four-petalled grid pattern, on the four corners is a large mon of three hollyhock leaves within a black circle framed in gold paint; recesses black lacquered lip at top of box, two intersecting wood cross bars support the bottom; legs, which raise the box have engraved gilt bronze shaped tips at the top and bottom of each legs, engravings include scrolling leaf shapes on a crosshatch background, three diamond shaped finding are rivetted down the front of each leg, two legs are pierced with a hole which originally held a binding cord. B: Lacquered wood square lid has bentwood corners, horizontal ridges around outside and a convex top which extends beyond the sides, same gold cherry and petalled grid pattern on black as on box, hollyhock mon painted on center top and the top of the four mon featured on the box are visible at the bottom of the bentwood corners, each top corner is covered with a cloud shaped gilt bronze hardware with engraving of a stylized flower and vine-like leaves, black lacquered inside lid is cracking.

1991.031.010