Lot 900: Japanese Export Sterling Silver and Polychrome Enamel Lidded Box
A late 19th or early 20th-century circular lidded box of Japanese export design, likely intended as a powder jar or trinket box. The piece is constructed from heavy-gauge silver with a fine hand-hammered martelé texture throughout the background. The lid and body are decorated in high relief with a naturalistic motif of bamboo stalks and leaves, alongside clusters of wisteria blossoms. This relief work is finished with polychrome enamels; the bamboo leaves are rendered in translucent shades of green, the stalks in golden-brown, and the wisteria in reddish-pink tones. The top of the lid features a central circular vacant cartouche. The underside of the base is stamped with the mark STERLING alongside an additional small unidentified mark.
Weight: 210.13 grams.
Condition report:
The box is in good overall condition. There is light surface tarnish and minor oxidation in the recessed areas, consistent with age. The base shows some fine surface scratching from use. The enamel appears to be largely intact and well-preserved with no major losses visible.
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