◄

This stained bamboo case is elegantly decorated in gold takamaki-e and aogai. It depicts a slug (on one side) and snail (on the other) crawling through fallen leaves; it dates from the Meijii period.

It came under the hammer at Bonhams in 2003 with an estimate of £2,000 - £3,000. It was unsold. In 2005 it was offered for sale by a London dealer specialising in Oriental ivory and works of art. The asking price was £6,500.