Kyodai, miror holdern Black and gold lacquer, Japan Edo period

Black lacquer ky?dai decorated with the kamon Maru ni Daki My?ga against a background of clematis – Japan, Edo period, second half of the 18th century

This ky?dai, a vanity unit, is a remarkable example of ceremonial furniture from the Edo period. The set includes a cubic cabinet with drawers, a polished metal mirror simply placed on its stand, a compartmentalized makeup box, a small container, and two original brushes, exceptionally preserved since the 18th century.

The mirror, whose silvered surface served to reflect both light and the image of the face, evokes the refined customs of Japanese aristocratic homes. In the Tale of Genji, the mirror symbolizes the permanence of memory and attachment beyond separation. In the chapter "Exile to Suma," Genji confides to Murasaki:

Mi wa kakute

Sasuraenu to mo

Kimi ga atari

Saranu kagami no

Kage wa hanareji

"So my body wanders, but in your mirror,

my image will not leave you."

The cabinet is decorated in black urushi lacquer with gold and silver maki-e decoration, with brass hardware and knobs. The kamon Maru ni Daki My?ga—the emblems of the Inagaki family, daimy? of Mikawa Province and vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate—are scattered across all sides of the cabinet, among a network of climbing clematis. The large star-shaped flowers and slender stems of this tessen-karakusa motif reflect the virtuosity of lacquer workshops in the second half of the 18th century.

Commissioned for a wedding trousseau (yomeiri d?gu), this ky?dai illustrates the practice of marking each piece of wedding furniture with the family crest, a sign of rank and lineage identity. The combination of the Inagaki kamon and the vegetal decoration testifies to the daimyo's taste for motifs combining prestige and ornamental refinement.

The overall condition is good, with traces of use and oxidation consistent with its age.

Dimensions of the piece: total height 67 cm; width 27.8 cm; depth 27.5 cm.