Japanese Carved Wood Tea Tray in Lotus Leaf Form
December 2012 Auction by Far East Asian Art

This unusual tea tray has been realistically hand carved from a single piece of wood in the form of a curled lotus leaf. Meiji/Taisho period (early 20th century). The front depicts the top of an open lotus leaf with curled outer edges, including the upper and lower edges which are completely folded over the top. The lightly chiseled top surface is covered with incised leaf veins which radiate from the center, and a separately carved stem peaks out from beneath the leaf...