An Early 19th Century Red Japanned Tray

A Regency Period red japanned and gilded tray, of rectangular form, decorated throughout with chinoiseries including birds, insects and pagodas.

Trays such as this exemplify the European fascination with the Orient throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. From the earliest japanned furniture of the late Stuart Age, amateur and professional painters decorated objects including boxes, candlesticks and trays, with extraordinary emblems and naturalistic motifs, inspired by the lacquer wares made for export from China and Japan.