Small box with country house

Delicate mother-of-pearl and lead sheet inlays are used in this small box designed by Kamisaka Sekka. Over the smooth surface of the black lacquered background and matte sprinkled gold base of the tree and house exterior, the inlays are markedly raised. This effect, which adds a level of depth to the overall composition, would have been achieved by molding the lead and pearl inlays over a layer of paste made by mixing lacquer, pumice, and water.