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D:15.4㎝　H:10㎝

Beautiful peonies in vermilion color are carved and colored with butterflies. The background of the peony is finely carved with a design of blue ocean waves. There is an inscription "象谷" on the lower left of the peony. This is a container with a lid for food.Zokoku was the representative lacquerware of the Kagawa clan and gained fame as a gift to the shogun and feudal lords.

Zokoku Tamakaji 

He was born in Takamatsu in 1806, but at the age of 20 he moved to Kyoto to study with various painters and lacquerers and had the opportunity to research Chinese lacquer techniques, then bringing his knowledge to Kagawa and helping to seal its reputation as a major lacquerware producing area. He returned to Takamatsu with knowledge of lacquerware techniques from various countries. His talent was recognized by Matsudaira Yorihiro (ninth lord of the Takamatsu Domain), and he was appointed to manage and supervise the items in the domain's treasury. He carefully observed all of these items to further develop his own skills. His studies soon paid off, and he established a distinctive Tamakaji style of urushi lacquerware techniques based on pre-existing traditional techniques.