A Lacquer Sweet Tray for Tea Gatherings (Kashiki)

EDO-MEIJI PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), SIGNED ZESHIN (SHIBATA ZESHIN [1807-1891])

Details

A Lacquer Sweet Tray for Tea Gatherings (Kashiki)
Edo-Meiji period (19th century), signed Zeshin (Shibata Zeshin [1807-1891])
The shallow rectangular tray designed to imitate patinated bronze and decorated on the interior with chestnuts, the rough outer skin of the chestnuts rendered in grey ishime and the interior fundame with brown takamaki-e nuts and mottled greyish-brown, the branch brown takamaki-e and the leaf greyish-brown hiramaki-e with gold-lacquer veins, signed with "rat's tooth" scratched signature on underside
5 1/8 x 6 1/8 x 1 3/8in. (13 x 15.5 x 3.5cm.)
With wood box inscribed on the exterior of lid Kuri maki-e kashiki (Lacquer sweet tray with chestnuts) and on the underside of the cover Shibata Zeshin saku Ryushin kan (Made by Shibata Zeshin, authenticated by Ryushin)

Lot Essay

Shibata Zeshin was one of the most innovative lacquer artists of all time. His imitations, in lacquer, of other materials such as ceramic or pewter are testament to both his wide knowledge of traditional lacquer techniques and his mastery of the medium.

Umezawa Ryushin (1874-1952) was the youngest of Zeshin's three sons. He was a lacquer artist who worked in the Zeshin tradition and was a pupil of Ikeda Taishin (1825-1903). He also authenticated many works of his father.

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