PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF PAUL AND HELEN ANBINDER A BLACK LACQUER PICNIC SETMeiji (1868-1912) or Taisho (1912-1926) era prising a box with vertically sliding door containing one full-width drawer, a half-width sake container, three smaller drawers, and a further full-width, half-height drawer and three sakazuki (sake c), the reverse with four large openings making the shape of a stylized flower, the drawer fronts and lid with butterflies, the exterior with autumn plants, the wood substrate covered in glossy black roiro lacquer, the decoration executed in flush-inlaid thinly cut shell with some reverse coloring and gold hiramaki-e , the rims gold fundame , the interior red lacquer, the fittings copper gilt; with a lacquered wood storage box. 8 1/2 x 8 3/8 x 4 5/8 in (21.5 x 21.2 x 11.6 cm) (6). Provenance: Ide Takashi Collection Christie's, New York, 22 September 2004, lot 244 Exhibited and Published: Bentobako (Picnic Boxes), Machida Shiritsu Hakubutsukan, Machida City Museum, 10 September - 20 October 1985, p. 42. Published: Arakawa Hirokazu, Bentobako: Utage to tabi no utsuwa (Picnic Boxes: Utensils for Parties and Travel), Tokyo, Shikosha, 1990, pl. 20.