Japanese Fine Antique Lacquered Koto Lute rare violin size, Meiji 19th century
$2,400.00
Sold Out
Lifetime GuaranteeEmail to a friend
From our recent Japanese acquisitions trip.
Japan Fine Antique Lacquered Maki-e Koto Lute stringed instrument, in a rare violin size, Meiji period 19th century. Includes original wooden storage box and yellow protective cloth. Immediately playable.
Dimensions: 24 inches length and 5 inches width and 2.75 inches high
Quality: Fine quality with superb lacquered Maki-e detail, vines & floral motif. Immediately playable .
History of the Japanese Koto
The koto (Japanese: 箏) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from the Chinese zheng, and similar to the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum, and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. The usual Koto are about 180 centimetres (71 in) length, and made from kiri wood (Paulownia tomentosa).
Smaller violin sized kotos are rare. They have 13 strings that are usually strung over 13 movable bridges along the width of the instrument. Players can adjust the string pitches by moving the bridges before playing. To play the instrument, the strings are plucked using three finger picks, otherwise known as plectra, (on thumb, index finger, and middle finger).
Only one.
History of Japanese Lacquer Maki-e
Maki-e (蒔絵, literally: sprinkled picture) is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder as a decoration using a brush. The technique was developed mainly in the Heian period (794–1185) and blossomed in the Edo period (1603–1868). Maki-e objects were initially designed as household items for court nobles; they soon gained more popularity and were adopted by royal families and military leaders as a symbol of power.
To create different colours and textures, maki-e artists use a variety of metal powders including gold, silver, copper, brass, lead, aluminum, platinum, and pewter, as well as their alloys. Bamboo tubes and soft brushes of various sizes are used for laying powders and drawing fine lines. As it requires highly skilled craftsmanship to produce a maki-e painting, young artists usually go through many years of training to develop the skills and to ultimately become maki-e masters. Kōami Dōchō (1410–1478) was the first lacquer master linked to specific works.
Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity. All our Asian works of art are accompanied by our lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
Our gallery based in Shelburne, Vermont USA has been dealing in authentic Japanese , Chinese, and fine Asian art, garden ornaments, lanterns and water basins for 25 years. The president personally travels to China, Japan and Europe each year to meet his network partners who assist him in finding best examples. He personally inspects each antique work of art to ensure its old age, authenticity and quality condition.
We are members of the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) specializing for ten years now in old and authentic Japanese stone garden ornaments.
Item Details
- Dimensions: N/A
Related Art
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601
(802) 279-7601