Export Portable Desk (Bargueño)

Catering to the demand for export lacquerware, the Japanese manufactured objects to Western specifications of both function and design. This lacquer cabinet is an example of a piece made in the namban style, for nambanjin, or foreigners—in this case the Portuguese. It displays a synthesis of indigenous Japanese elements of technical virtuosity together with forms adapted to the Western market and decorative motifs that are obviously non-Japanese in inspiration. When opened, it has drawers ranged around a recessed niche. The architectural motif appears to have been derived from the arch of a mihrab, the prayer niche of a mosque in the wall facing Mecca. A tree of life, painted in gold with pearl-shell inlay, meanders over the interior and exterior surfaces. These motifs can be traced to Gujarat, India, and were most likely transmitted eastward via the Portuguese trade.