Eggshell and Gold Maki-e Chu-Natsume Tea Caddy

A natsume is the container used in the tea ceremony to hold matcha. On this chū-natsume (medium natsume), the feathered robe of a celestial maiden fluttering in the wind is depicted in gold maki-e and the white of eggshell.

The gold is genuine gold powder, sprinkled over lacquer laid down as the drawing. The white areas are rendered with quail eggshell, whose fine cracks give rise to a delicate texture. The piece is finished with the togidashi maki-e technique, in which layers of lacquer are applied and then polished back.

Genuine urushi lacquer is used consistently from the ground layers up, and the wooden body is zelkova. It measures 6.5 cm square and 7 cm high, and is delivered in a box.