SATO: A RARE BLACK AND GOLD LACQUER KOBAKO AND COVER IN THE FORM OF THE TAKARABUNE (TREASURE SHIP)By Sato, signed Sato with kakihanJapan, 19th centuryThe top of the cover bearing a black-lacquered ground richly decorated in iro-e takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, togidashi-e, and e-nashiji with treasures including coral, ingots, and tamas, the ‘sail’ with a stylized lotus blossom amid scrolling foliage, all above crashing waves, the sides of the box and cover of gold kinji, one side of the box with the signature SATO and a kakihan. The interiors of bright nashiji with gold fundame edges.LENGTH 11.8 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear, few small chips to edges, minuscule nicks, occasional light scratches, and minor age cracks.Provenance: French private collection.Auction comparison: Compare a closely related lacquer kogo and cover, also in the form of the Takarabune, dated to the Meiji period, at Christie’s, 17 November 1998, London, lot 148 (sold for 2,875 GBP, approx. 5,645 GBP today after inflation). Compare a gold-lacquer box and cover in the form of the Takarabune, dated to the Meiji period, circa 1880, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2019, London, lot 58 (sold for 7,562 GBP). Notes RefButton4