Black and Gold Lacquer Antique Chinoiserie String Holder Box cat with button eyes Presumed mid-century and signed on

Presumed mid-century and signed on the bottom

but just perfect as it is

not surprisingly

very finely made and unique pair of vessels

Black and Gold Lacquer Antique Chinoiserie String Holder Box cat with button eyes Presumed mid-century and signed onI've found a very close match of this lovely small lacquer string holder that describes it (with some authority) as English Victorian era Chinoiserie, late 19th or very early 20th century. Made of lacquered papier mache, it features wonderful gold toned decoration, different on all sides, depicting figures engaged in a variety of scenes, including one figure smoking from a pipe, another holding a fan, another reading, and another who appears to be