Black and Red Hand-painted Japanese Tea Caddy wooden vessel the basket's exterior is a

the basket's exterior is a variegated honey color with faded red medallion and red and blue striping

I like the connection between the figure mining for fish hidden below the surface of the ice and the box itself as a place where treasures are concealed and kept safe

This hand-thrown stoneware bowl

1 7/8" at longest

light blue and caramel glazes

Black and Red Hand-painted Japanese Tea Caddy wooden vessel the basket's exterior is aTo my taste, this vintage Japanese tea caddy is just about aesthetically perfect. Tin, it was hand painted with a tea pot and pillow in red and other tea ceremony accoutrements in copper and silver nothing extraneous, just great proportions, simple gestures; elegant and lovely. I am guessing 1930s or early 40s, though have not found another like it. There is text in Japanese on the the back, along the seam, and it may once have had an interior lid. 3.