Gorgeous set of ten Japanese urushi lacquered owan lidless rice or soup bowls in varying colors and maki-e designs. All are in wonderful antique condition. They are not without small imperfections but nothing to mar their beauty. We believe these to be Showa period 1926-1988 but it is possible they are older.
There is nothing more disappointing then finding that one unique, must-have item and see that it has been sold. But before you get frustrated, please reach out to us. We have a 40,000 square foot warehouse with only one-of-a-kind items. We just might have what you are looking for, and have not posted it to our online shop. So drop us a line and we’ll get shopping for you.
Keep in mind warehouse414 items are vintage and not new, so they will have signs of use and wear. See photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any imperfections.
These bowls are incredibly beautiful Japanese utilitarian art. The bowls themselves are called owan and it is used to serve soup such as miso shiru or rice. Many bowls are lidded; however, these are not. The bowl form is carved from a single block of wood and can take as long as five years to complete carving as it must be done very slowly to prevent cracking and warping. After achieving the final form, they are left to dry for one more year. They are then given multiple lacquered coats with urushi lacquer, which is highly poisonous when wet, and takes a great amount of time since they must dry fully between coats. At this time being turned over to the maki-e lacquer artist for their decorative and symbolic designs. What a mind-blowing process but they are magnificent. The ten bowls are in colors of cinnabar red, dark green, black, and gold; with hand painted designs of cherry blossoms, bamboo, Japanese iris, butterflies, and koi. You need to make these precious pieces of antiquity yours.
