ANTIQUE JAPANESE LACQUER STEM DISH Phoenix Temple Urushi Meiji Sweets Plate

Description

SUPERB ANTIQUE JAPANESE LACQUERED SWEETS DISH
Exquisite Japanese hand lacquered stemmed plate. Featuring a golden temple crowned with a phoenix bird, representing resilience and peace. Vibrant raised gold takamakie lacquerwork is exquisitely rendered with individual tiles in the roof, feathers on the phoenix, and hundreds of needles on the gnarled pine tree. Truly magnificent. Dates to the late 1800s to early 1900s, Meiji period. Would have been utilized by a wealthy family to serve small sweets to special guests, perhaps as kaiseki, with tea. A sublime example of lacquer ware in the Japanese aesthetic.
This handsome dish features many layers of lacquer carefully applied to depict the tranquil scene. Additionally, the subtle texture, when held at the right angle in the light, is visually exquisite and most tactilely pleasing.
See photographs for all of the meticulous detail.
Symbolism: The phoenix, or