Lacquer Box with Fantastical Creature Handmade in Kashmir, India rabbit and later lived in Oaxaca

and later lived in Oaxaca

There are so many gorgeous textiles out there from so many places

and is emblematic of Takei's woodblock prints

I believe they date between the mid-1930s and mid-40s

Lacquer Box with Fantastical Creature Handmade in Kashmir, India rabbit and later lived in OaxacaWho is this marvelous fantastical beast that lives on the top of this vintage lacquer box? He looks a bit like a dog with antlers and a head dress, but his face seems positively human, and he has what looks rather like a tiny hand and wrist for a nose! Whatever he is, he's about the best creature I've seen, and is set off perfectly against a bold yellow ground, with additional colorful abstract forms, again rather mysterious, on all sides of the box.