Stunning, Very Fine Antique Japanese Lacquer Writing Box with Inlaid Pearls pot with face and ears I just fell in love

I just fell in love with the drawing itself--a perfect combination of exactly the sort of thing one might observe on the streets of Paris and a wonderfully concise

Box shows tons of wear and water damage

and pieces like this continue to be made particularly by members of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Micmac tribes

except the green B which measures 10 x 7 3/8 x 1/4”

The underside of the tails are signed: Rita

Stunning, Very Fine Antique Japanese Lacquer Writing Box with Inlaid Pearls pot with face and ears I just fell in loveI purchased this Japanese lacquer box at an estate sale a few years ago, and have sat on it thinking I would take it to an appraiser, but that has not happened, so here I am listing it. It is quite a fine one, which I believe would be referred to as a Suzuri Bako, made for holding writing brushes, ink stick, and or inkstone; this might once have held an interior tray or trays for those, though I am not certain. The design of the lid features