© The Card Case Forum, 2012
This beautiful Japanese ivory card case is a fine example of hiramki-e and takamaki-e decoration. The obverse depicts a ship laden with bales at sea, and the reverse, five Japanese cranes flying in a cloudy sky against the sun. It is signed on the base and was made towards the end of the 19th century.
In Japanese art, the crane is a symbol of longevity and is most closely associated with the New Year and marriage. The ship may represent the Ship of Good Fortune which is said to sail into port at New Year, carrying the Seven Gods of Good Luck, their treasures, and the crane and long-tailed tortoise, the latter of which is also a symbol of longevity.
| stag antler |
| tiffany silver |
| carved ivory |
| carved sandalwood |
| cloisonne |
| gold & enamel |
| gold filigree |
| japanese lacquer |
| mop & turquoise |
| persian silver |
| red-felt birchbark |
| red-stained ivory |
| birch-bark |
| gold by asprey |
| indian filigree |
| irish bog oak |
| japanese ivory |
| lukutin lacquer |
| palais royal |
| papier-mache |
| russian nephrite |
| silesian wire-work |
| chequer ware |
| faberge enamel |
| gem painted pearl |
| gold & enamel |
| ivory & lacquer |
| japanese lacquer |
| japanese lacquer |
| mother-of-pearl |
| silver castle top |
| tortoiseshell |
| chalcedony |
| elephant tooth |
| faberge enamel |
| inlaid lacquer |
| japanese ivory |
| red sealing wax |
| russian cloisonne |
| seaweed ware |
| tiffany enamel |
| tiffany silver |
| tunbridge ware |
| bamboo |
| chinese enamel |
| chinese silk |
| derbyshire marble |
| european ivory |
| french straw work |
| japanese bronze |
| japanese komai |
| lukutin lacquer |
| red-stained ivory |
| shibayama |
| spiers papier mache |
| buckskin |
| faberge gold |
| leather |
| mauchline ware |
| porcelain |
| rock crystal |