Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891)A tobacco tray with a bird-shaped kiteMeiji era (1868-1912), circa 1870-1890The deep tray with curved corners, and slightly recessed interior with indented corners, the wood body entirely covered in almost black chado-nuri finished to an ishime-nuri texture, the interior decorated in highly polished low black takamaki-e with a kite in the form of a crow viewed from below and upside-down (as indicated by the location of the signature on the base), details of the feet and eyes in silver lacquer, the kite string and its ties depicted in gold hiramaki-e partly incised in subori technique to indicate the individual twisted threads, the string extending over the top side and the base to the long-handled itomaki (winder) depicted on the side, its wood and bamboo components rendered in takamaki-e of gold, shibuichi, and shakudo powder incised in subori technique with wood grain, signed on the underside Zeshin in gold hiramaki-eWith a wood tomobako storage box with label inscribed Tako maki-e tabako-bon Zeshin saku (Maki-e tobacco tray by Zeshin) and letter of authentication from Shoji Hoshin (1898–1993), reading Zeshin-o saku tako maki-e seidoji tabako-bon shinsaku mugi mono nari Showa gojukyunen uzuki hachijuroku-o Hoshin kan (Seido-ground tobacco tray by Zeshin, authentic work examined by Hoshin, aged 86, April 1984) with seals Shoji, Koma; wrapper sealed Hoshin no in 13/4 × 11 1/4 × 9 in (4.5 × 28.5 × 22.9 cm) 注脚ProvenanceYoshiie Family, Suisekitei CollectionPreviously sold, Bonhams, London, The Misumi Collection of Important Works of Art and Paintings, Part II, November 10, 2015, lot 3Exhibited and PublishedNezu Bijutsukan (Nezu Museum), Shibata Zeshin no shikko, urushi-e, kaiga (Shibata Zeshin: From Lacquer Arts to Painting), exhibition catalogue, Tokyo: Nezu Bijutsukan, 2012, cat. no.18In his catalogue note for the 2012 Zeshin exhibition at the Nezu Museum referred to above, lacquer historian Takao Yo comments that the kite depicted here is no ordinary toy but a special variety that was probably, and typically, Zeshin's own invention. An accompanying certficate refers to the present lot as having been the property of the Yoshiie family who lived in Tokyo and were owners of a panel depicting a harvest festival, completed in 1882, that is one of the finest works in the Khalili Collection; see Joe Earle and Tadaomi Goke, Meiji no Takara, Treasures of Imperial Japan, Masterpieces by Shibata Zeshin [in the Khalili Collection], London: Kibo Foundation, 1996, cat. no.27.