AN EXTREMELY RARE LACQUER PEACOCK-FORM MINIATURE SUZURIBAKO DEPICTING KUJAKU MYOO Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely modeled in the form of an aureole, the minute writing box bearing a nashiji ground, the cover exquisitely decorated with aogai inlay and superbly lacquered in iro-e takamaki-e with a majestic peacock standing tall, supporting a large lotus pod and blossom on its back, its tail feathers enclosing a recessed circular panel lacquered with an image of a seated Kujaku Myoo holding various attributes, the interiors of nashiji with gold fundame edges, the ita (baseboard) decorated with two small wave borders and fitted with a suzuri (inkstone), fude (writing brush), and an inscribed gilt ink cake with dragon decoration. LENGTH 10.4 cm Condition: Good condition with minor wear, minuscule nibbles to edges. Provenance: The Strong National Museum of Play, accession number 78.1677 (lacquered to the interior of the cover). Margaret Woodbury Strong (1897-1969) grew up in a prosperous family of collectors. Her interests ranged so widely that by 1960 she had amassed more than 27,000 collectible items and works of art. The vast majority of her collections related in some way to play and as her accumulation grew, Margaret planned a museum to house her collection. It eventually opened to the public in 1982, and grew dramatically over the following decades, expanding its collections, facilities, and resources, now spanning over 285,000 square feet. Today, the Strong National Museum of Play (known as just The Strong Museum or simply The Strong) is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to the study of play. Kujaku Myoo (Skt. Mahamayuri vidyaraja) is the deified form of a peacock that eats poisonous snakes and insects. He is represented here in compassionate form, an aspect unusual for Radiant Wisdom Kings. Kujaku Myoo is the principal deity of an esoteric Buddhist ritual based on the Kujaku Myoo sutras that is performed to bring or stop rain, and to ward off calamities. Auction comparison: Compare a related lacquer suzuribako depicting Kujaku Myoo, dated to the 19th century, of larger size, at Sotheby`s, 16 September 2008, New York, lot 288 ( sold for 17,500 USD ).