Japanese Wood Inlaid Planter

Peonies in red and gold, on a sunburned bowl of wood.

Made in Japan in wood in the early 20th century, this inlaid planter is of a type commonly decorated with flowers and plants. Its sides are inlaid with peonies in red, gold and gray-blue, with leaves, buds and stems worked in tinted metal and pieces of stone. A faint bamboo or fence line runs behind them. The wood is a mottled caramel brown with a textured, faintly weathered grain.

About 8 inches tall and 10 across. A garden that never needs watering.