A 'NEGORO' LACQUERED WOOD DISH
Japan, Muromachi period, 16th century

Square in shape (oshiki) and with cut corners, the black lacquer ground can be glimpsed from the more superficial red due to the passage of time and wear.

29 x 30 cm

Provenance: Italian private collection.
Lacquered objects of this type - characterized by a red surface color that over time and wear reveals the black background below - are known as 'Negoro', from the name of a temple in the province of Izumi which was the main production center of this typology. The predilection for artefacts that show the signs of aging is one of the cardinal principles of the Japanese aesthetics linked to Zen, known by the term wabi.