A SUPERB LACQUER TONKOTSU DEPICTING A CUCKOO SINGING IN THE MOONLIGHTUnsigned Japan, 19th century Bearing a roiro ground, save for the side beneath the hinged cover which is lacquered silver to indicate the crescent moon when the cover is closed, finely decorated in gold and colored thick takamaki-e to depict a flying cuckoo (hototogisu) with its beak agape as it sings, the reverse with masterful togidashi grasses and lantern fruit, the sides with crickets and winged insects. The interior of roiro. The lacquer ojime of faceted form and decorated in gold hiramaki-e with stylized flowerheads and a paulownia design. A most charming tonkotsu, the shape ingeniously adding to the subject matter and the two main lacquer techniques used, togidashi and takamaki-e, beautifully contrasting with each other.LENGTH 10.5 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor surface wear. Cuckoos are a popular subject of waka and haiku poets. A prominent characteristic of this bird is that it sings in the night as it flies, as depicted in the present lot. A poem by Sanesada no Fujiwara (1139-1191) on the cuckoo, from the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, reads: HototogisuNakitsuru kata woNagamurebaTada ariake noTsuki zo nokoreru. (The cuckoo's echo dies away,And lo! the branch is bareI only see the morning moon,Whose light is fading thereBefore the daylight's glare.)