Sawasa: Japanese Export Art in Black and Gold 1650-1800

Sawasa is the Japanese name given to artifacts made by Asian artists and craftsmen who adopted European models and combined them with Chinese and Japanese materials and decorative motifs of gilt reliefs and engravings on a lustrous lacquered surface. Until recently these artifacts were called shakudo, after the copper, gold, and arsenic alloy that was used for decoration on swords. The combination of black patinated metal with gold has a long history, going back to the second millennium B.C. Sawasa ware is the result of cultural interaction between Asia and Europe. As a consequence of global trade in the 17th century, mutual interest arose in the details of each other's culture. The earliest sawasa objects are sword hilts and tobacco boxes ordered in Japan from Batavia.