Japanese Meiji Gold Maki-e Lacquer Tabako-Bon Smoking Cabinet

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Japanese Meiji Gold Maki-e Lacquer Tabako-Bon Smoking Cabinet

A diminutive Japanese Meiji-period tabako-bon, or portable tobacco-smoking cabinet, dating to the … Read more Japanese Meiji Gold Maki-e Lacquer Tabako-Bon Smoking Cabinet

A diminutive Japanese Meiji-period tabako-bon, or portable tobacco-smoking cabinet, dating to the late 19th century. Constructed in wood and finished in deep reddish-brown lacquer, this intricate smoking service is decorated in gold maki-e with flowering peonies, leafy branches, and butterflies.

Peonies, traditionally known as the “king of flowers,” symbolized prosperity, honor, and cultivated beauty. Butterflies represented transformation, longevity, and marital happiness. The decoration was created through the maki-e process, in which finely ground metallic powder was applied to wet lacquer, producing the cabinet’s luminous gold imagery.

The upper compartment contains its removable hiire, a covered charcoal brazier used to maintain a glowing ember for lighting a slender Japanese kiseru pipe. Its domed cover incorporates a larger opening for accessing the charcoal and smaller pierced openings for ventilation. A swinging bail facilitates removal, while the cabinet’s tall rectangular handle allows the complete smoking service to be carried and presented to guests.

Three fitted drawers accommodated finely shredded tobacco and small smoking implements. Two shallow horizontal drawers measure approximately 2 inches wide by 0.5 inch high; the narrow vertical drawer measures approximately 0.75 inch wide by 0.75 inch high.

Silver-colored hakudō mounts reinforce the corners and edges. The cabinet is unsigned but retains its unfinished wooden storage box (missing the lid), inscribed 白銅 蒔絵 煙草盆, or hakudō maki-e tabako-bon: “white-metal-mounted maki-e tobacco tray.” This inscription confirms both the object’s function and decorative technique.

The storage box is missing its fitted lid. The tabako-bon retains its drawers, removable platform, and charcoal vessel, with age-related wear consistent with its use and period.

Dimensions:
4.5 in. H to top of handle
Cabinet: 3.5 in. H × 3 in. W × 3 in. D See less