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Japanese 19th Century Miniature Lacquer Chest With Waterfall

Late Edo / early Meiji period lacquer chest (mid to late 19th century) with two characters on the front reading Nuno and Biki. Nunobiki Waterfall, one of the few holy waterfalls in Japan, is located between Kobe and Osaka, and was often mentioned in poems throughout history. This chest displays expert examples of various lacquer techniques rendering a continuous scene of Nunobiki 360 degrees around the entire box. A beautiful use of gold including large pieces of gold heart shaped leaves falling, and a gold speckled ground suggesting mist from the falls. Bronze hardware is incised with motifs of flowing water and fish. An incredible example of lacquer mastery. Comes in a lacquer storage box which is lined with washi paper.