Tiger Smoking Box & Ashtray Set Circa 1950 Korean Black Lacquer Mother-of-Pearl

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Description

A striking Korean black lacquer smoking box dating to approximately the late 1940s–1950s, richly decorated in hand-cut mother-of-pearl with a … Read more A striking Korean black lacquer smoking box dating to approximately the late 1940s–1950s, richly decorated in hand-cut mother-of-pearl with a dramatic mirrored composition of two tigers amid bamboo, flowering rocks, mountains, clouds and a distant pavilion.

Measuring an impressive 14" wide × 7" deep × 2.5" high, the fitted smoking set includes a removable brass ashtray surrounded by the twelve animals of the Asian zodiac, a recessed compartment originally intended for a lighter, and a separate lidded compartment ornamented with small mother-of-pearl motifs. The lid lifts away completely to reveal the fitted interior.

The mother-of-pearl work is particularly beautiful. Individual pieces of shell have been selected not merely for shape, but for their natural variations in color, texture and iridescence. Look closely at the rocky landscape and vegetation and one can see areas where naturally mottled and pitted shell has been incorporated to suggest the irregularity of roots, rocks and foliage. The two wonderfully animated tigers face one another across the landscape, their bodies assembled from larger pieces of shimmering shell and finely incised to articulate fur, faces and movement. Depending upon the light, the shell shifts through silver, rose, lavender, turquoise and green against the deep black lacquer.

This is not a pristine example—and we think that is part of its considerable charm. The glossy black lacquer carries the gentle haze, surface marks, small edge losses and handling wear accumulated through decades of use, while the extraordinary mother-of-pearl composition remains luminous and commanding. We have photographed these areas deliberately and in natural light so that the condition can be clearly appreciated.

Rather than detracting from the piece, its time-softened surface gives it the wonderful presence of an object that has actually lived a life. One can easily imagine it occupying a cocktail table in the years following World War II—cigarettes tucked beneath the little lacquered cover, a lighter in its fitted compartment and a highball resting nearby.

Its condition has been taken into consideration in our pricing, offering an opportunity to acquire a substantial, beautifully crafted and unusually charismatic example of Korean mother-of-pearl lacquerware at an approachable price. Today it would be equally compelling displayed as a decorative box, used to hold small personal objects, or simply left open on a cocktail table so that its wonderful fitted interior can be enjoyed. See less