Japanese mother of pearl inlaid tray depicting a travelling…
click the photo to enlarge
Japanese Mother of pearl inlaid tray depicting a travelling entertainer at leisure with his three performing monkeys, seated beneath a cherry blossom tree. in brass, ivory, bone & timber, with metal mounts. Diameter 71.5 cm

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Mother-Of-Pearl - Mother-of-pearl, technical name "nacre", is the inner layer of a sea shell. The iridescent colours and strength of this material were widely used in the nineteenth century as an inlay in jewellery, furniture, (especially papier mache furniture) and musical instruments.

    In the early 1900s it was used to make pearl buttons. Mother-of-pearl is a soft material that is easily cut or engraved.

    Nowadays it is a by-product of the oyster, freshwater pearl mussel and abalone industries.
  • Ivory - Ivory is a hard white material that comes from the tusks of elephants, mammoth, walrus and boar, or from the teeth of hippopotamus and whales. The ivory from the African elephant is the most prized source of ivory. Although the mammoth is extinct, tusks are still being unearthed in Russia and offered for sale.

    Ivory has been used since the earliest times as a material for sculpture of small items, both in Europe and the east, principally China and Japan.

    In Asia ivory has been carved for netsuke, seals, okimono, card cases, fan supports, animals and other figures and even as carved tusks.

    In the last 200 years in Europe ivory has been used to carve figures, for elaborate tankards, snuff boxes, cane handles, embroidery and sewing accessories, in jewellery and as inlay on furniture. Its more practical uses include being used for billiard balls, buttons, and a veneers on the top of piano keys.

    The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to Due to the decline in elephant populations because of the trade in ivory, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in 1975, and in January 1990, the African elephant was similarly listed. Under Appendix One, international trade in Asian or African elephant ivory between member countries is forbidden. Unlike trade in elephant tusks, trade in mammoth tusks is legal.

    Since the invention of plastics, there have been many attempts to create an artificial ivory

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Early 20th century charger heavy polychrome enamel decoration, famille rose on iron red ground, four character mark, 45 cm diameter

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A Crown Lynn 'Legend' plate, rounded square form with relief moulded motif decoration of kauri trees, keruru, fantail, tuatara, kiwi, etc., all in gilt on a speckled brown ground, the reverse printed with full detail of each element of the 'Legend'. 29 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A Royal Doulton plate, 'Pansy'. Diameter 34.5 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A large Chinese cloisonne circular dish on low foot, decorated to the interior with chrysanthemums and blossom, the exterior with geometric patterning on a yellow ground. Diameter 38.5 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.