Lacquerware of this kind involves building up layer after layer of resin over a lifetime's worth of patience, each coat applied and left to cure before the next goes on, which is part of why a piece this large represents real time investment beyond just the decorative inlay work. The oval fluted body has a deep red centre, painted with a lake and reeds scene bordered in black, while the surrounding decoration is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and abalone rather than painted.
A large flowering tree fills the centre, surrounded by birds and butterflies picked out in that same shimmering inlay, and the border carries dragons on each side with scrolling foliate decoration finishing both ends. Despite its scale, the tray is light enough to hang as a wall plaque rather than only being usable flat on a table, which gives it real flexibility for display depending on the space it's going into.
Condition notes
Great vintage condition. Few nibbles to mother-of-pearl, one place with small losses to mother-of-pearl; chipping to lacquer in one spot of the edge.
