Helen Wagner Malta 1930s Drawing of Tattooed Woman with Eyes All Over! gift for cook I am fairly certain this

I am fairly certain this lovely small Japanese lacquer on papier mache box dates to Meiji period

Best is that it is in fact a bit of a failure--there are a couple of splits where the wood of the sides meets the top

though as noted the curve of the sides is quite irregular—original to the piece

The heel requires a little pressure at first to open (it sticks a bit

Helen Wagner Malta 1930s Drawing of Tattooed Woman with Eyes All Over! gift for cook I am fairly certain thisThis wonderful ink drawing feels completely contemporary to me, but was done in the 1930s by Helen Wagner Malta (1912 1975), who signed it along the outside curve of the right foot. From what I understand, it came from a sketchbook of her drawings from that time when she was teaching at the Harlem Art Center and working at the New York branch of the WPA graphics division. Malta's work, which included drawings, paintings and prints, is found in