Early 20th Century Japanese Komai Style Damascene Cigarette Case, Mt. Fuji Landscape, Gold Inlay on Steel

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Description

A Japanese Komai style damascene cigarette case with richly detailed gold inlay on blackened steel, featuring a different landscape composition … Read more A Japanese Komai style damascene cigarette case with richly detailed gold inlay on blackened steel, featuring a different landscape composition on each face. The front panel depicts a panoramic scene of thatched village buildings, a bridge, fishing vessels on water, and trees, all rendered beneath Mt. Fuji.

The reverse carries a more spare composition: Mt. Fuji receding into the background above a solitary heron standing in marsh grass with birds in flight, demonstrating the range of the craftsman's hand across a single object.

The damascene technique involves hammering fine gold wire into crosshatched grooves cut into the steel surface, then oxidizing the base metal to create the characteristic black ground. The result is durable, not painted or printed.

Interior is lacquered black with brass frame edging and an elastic cigarette retainer on the right panel. Hinge is functional. Surface wear consistent with age and handling, most notably light scratching to the back panel.

Measures approximately 5"W × 3.5"H. See less