A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO) AND STATIONERY BOX (RYOSHIBAKO)

Details

A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO) AND STATIONERY BOX (RYOSHIBAKO)
(early 20th century), attributed to heian zohiko

Arranged as a large rectangular box and cover, the writing box placed on top of the deep lower stationery compartment, designed overall in Rimpa style in gold and black lacquer, simulated pewter and inlaid mother-of-pearl with iris and an eight-fold bridge (yatsuhashi), the underside of the lid and writing box lustrous gold of the same hue as the iris on the exterior; fitted with a lacquered inkstone and silver rectangular mizuire with a pebble surface, stamped jungin (pure silver); the ryoshibako interior patterned with gold waves in hiramaki-e on a roiro-nuri ground matching the base of the suzuribako section--10 7/8 x 7¾ x 5¾in. (27.7 x 19.7 x 14.6cm.)

Lot Essay

This is an exact replica of a famous eighteenth-century writing box designed by Ogata Korin (1658-1715) in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum. The original is a National Treasure and serves as a touchstone of the innovative Rimpa style of lacquer initiated by Koetsu and Korin. The subject is the eight-plank bridge (yatsuhashi) crossing a marsh with iris, a scenic spot made famous by a poem in the tenth-century travel diary, Tales of Ise.

The artist to whom this box is attributed is a descendant of Nishimura Sochu (1720-1773), who signed his name Heian Zohiko. There were at least eight generations of successors who all used the same name (for other Zohiko works in this sale see lots 225 and 226). Arakawa illustrates several works, probably by this last Zohiko whose name was Nishimura Hikobei VIII (1887-1965), (Arakawa Hirokazu, Kindai Nihon no shikkogei [Japanese lacquer art of recent times] [Kyoto: Kyoto National Museum, 1985], pp. 115-17).