Tebako Cosmetics Box with Autumn Grass Motifs
Tebako boxes for the storage of cosmetics were Japanized versions of Chinese “comb boxes” and were a major item dedicated to goddesses. This one is presumed to have been dedicated to the goddess Himegami, one of the deities enshrined at Kasugataisha Shrine. Its surface is black lacquer with sprinkled gold powder (maki-e) that portrays autumn flora such as bush clover, chrysanthemum, pampas grass, bellflower, and lady’s mantle. Thin strips of silver plate are used for the bush clover and chrysanthemum and a technique called kakiwari, by which certain areas are left without a coat of lacquer, is used for the leaf veins. The interior is divided into two sections by a hanging bracket. It contains a mirror, a mirror box, a square tooth-blackening box, a white powder box, a white porcelain container of rouge for lips and an accompanying saucer, a hairpin, and paper.
It is thought that it was dedicated in 1314 by Eifukumon’in, consort of Emperor Fushimi. The fact that the careful maki-e is applied to the smaller boxes within and the lid interior, making it a work of the highest quality, supports the theory that it was an offering made by a woman of the powerful Fujiwara clan (a group connected to Kasugataisha Shrine). This was certainly a period when imperial processions to the shrine were especially popular. It is a historical example of fine beauty produced by the aristocracy, and is a rare example of a cosmetics box that still retains its contents.
