Japanese Lacquer Saddle Handbag with Carved Emerald, Diamond and Tsavorite

This remarkable Japanese Lacquer Saddle Handbag beautifully blends tradition and luxury, featuring vibrant Oni motifs in green and red, which represent strength, protection, and the victory of good over evil in Japanese folklore. The lacquered surface is exquisitely embellished with diamonds and tsavorites, skillfully set in sterling silver with a gleaming gold-plated finish, radiating sophistication and opulence. The show-stopping centerpiece is a meticulously carved Russian emerald, framed by 18K gold petals, each delicately set with diamonds, creating an extraordinary focal point. Designed for versatility, the handbag can effortlessly transition from a clutch to a shoulder bag, with a discreet strap for added convenience. The interior is lined with sumptuous purple silk, providing the perfect finishing touch to this masterpiece, seamlessly combining cultural artistry, exceptional craftsmanship, and timeless elegance.

Lacquer was first developed in China and later Japan. The material opened and offered to artists a wide scope to create beautiful paintings and pictures on furniture, trays, vases, cups and any kind meant for visual pleasure such as scenes from nature, mythology, and literature. The processes to reach this artistic level expanded into using silver, gold, inlay shell and other materials. The inspiration for this collection came from Rolf von Bueren’s visit to Japan in the early 70’s, where he saw the process of Maki-e Lacquer. Maki-e is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder as a decoration using a cannister (makizutsu) or a hair-tipped paint brush (kebo brush). The technique was developed mainly during the Heian period (794–1185) to decorate screens, albums, letter boxes, and ink-slab cases. To create different colours and textures, maki-e artists use a variety of metal powders including gold, silver, copper etc. as alloys. Bamboo tubes and soft brushes of various sizes are used for laying powders and drawing fine lines. As it requires highly skilled craftsmanship to produce a maki-e painting, young artists usually go through many years of training to develop the skills and to ultimately become maki-e masters. Lotus Arts de Vivre use the best artisans in Japan for such skilled work and then embellishes them with their own design, never competing with the original Japanese design, only adding enough to make the pieces more desirable and more authentic. 

This piece was designed and produced by 5 craftsmen and designers over a period of 4 months, including 2 months for lacquering.

Diamond : 0.825 ct.(Approx)
Emerald : 20.34 ct.
Tsavorite : 0.25 ct.

Dimension : 11 (H)x 21 (L)x 6.2 (W) cm.
Chain length : 43.5 ""
Weight : 328.09 g.