An octagonal rectangular gilded lacquer Kobako (small box), Japan, Edo or Meiji period, with iris decoration, nashiji interior, with inscribed box, 12x9x4.5 cm (minor restorations) Provenance: Swiss private collection, assembled from 1932 to 1936 in Kobe (Japan). The collection was acquired under the mentorship of Maurice Champoud (1899-1981), Honorary Consul of Switzerland to Japan in Kobe, director of Nestlé's Japanese subsidiary and an expert in Japanese art. The entire collection was inherited and has remained in the family ever since. A lacquer rectangular octagonal kobako (small box), Japan, Edo or Meiji period, with box bearing inscriptions, 12x9x4.5 cm (minute restorations) Provenance: private Swiss collection, assembled from 1932 to 1936 in Kobe (Japan). The collection was acquired under the mentorship of Maurice Champoud (1899-1981), Honorary Consul of Switzerland to Japan in Kobe, director of Nestlé's Japanese subsidiary and an expert in Japanese art. The entire collection was inherited and has remained in the family ever since. General surface wear A few small dents A few nicks A few surface scratches Few cracks Minor restorations Few small chips A few small stains Overall wear to the surface Some minute knocks Some nicks Some surface scratches Few splits Minute restorations Few minute chips Some minute stains A collection of Japanese art The exceptional collection presented here bears witness to the refinement of Japanese art, notably through a selection of inrô and boxes carefully assembled in Japan between 1932 and 1936. It was assembled in Kobe by a Swiss collector living in Japan, who relied on the expert advice of Maurice Champoud (1899-1981), then Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Kobe. A connoisseur of Japanese art, Champoud played a key role in the creation of this collection. Passed down by inheritance within the same family to this day, this collection reflects a passionate and erudite appreciation of the subtlety and richness of Japanese art.