Lacquered wooden footed tray with gold decoration, maki-e (sprinkled gold lacquer) of two mons (family crests), one a paulownia leaf, the other a 'nine stars' design (actually eight dots around a central dot). The ground is nashiji (like pearskin) made by using gold powders. The four feet are carved.
This tray would have been part of a bridal set, the two crests representing the two families. The paulownia crest originally belonged to the family ousted by the Tokugawas, so was not used in early Edo. After the mid- Edo period the paulownia crest came to be used as a decoration, so this might not represent a union of the two families bearing this crest. For some marriages only the daughter's family crest was used. The nine stars are for the Hosokawa family. This is from a high ranking family, not of the top class, but the one just below it.
There is a label stuck to the underside of the tray.
