Document case (bunko) decorated with leaves and a tori gate motif

Anonymous artist

Anonymous artist - Document case (bunko) decorated with leaves and a tori gate motif
The decoration of this box’s lid overflows onto its sides. Its design comprises a Shinto gateway, a brushwood fence and sprays of plum blossoms executed in the raden and zōgan techniques on a gold ground. Inside the box, the lacquer artist created an image consisting of densely arranged Japanese flora, including the hollyhock, Chinese bellflower, morning glory, lespedeza, susuki grass and chrysanthemum, rendered in lead and mother-of-pearl inlays in high-relief makie, set off against a black ground. In decorating this richly designed document box, the unknown master was inspired by the principles of Japanese decorativism, a style established by Hon’ami Kōetsu and Ogata Kōrin. Those outstanding artists focused on the emphasizing of detail, elevating it to the sole decorative element in their artworks. This pars pro toto of sorts gradually became simplified and more geometrical, representing an expressly Japanese artistic characteristic which, in the late 19th century, had a powerful impact on European culture. (See Filip Suchomel and Marcela Suchomelová: A Surface Created for Decoration, Prague 2002, pp. 318–319)
date:
measurements: height 17,8 cm
width 44 cm
depth 37 cm
material: wood
technique: Natural lacquer decorated in fundame, takamakie and raden techniques, led inlay zōgan and mother-of-pearl inlay raden
inscription:
inventory number: Vu 488
gallery collection: Collection of Asian and African Art