Kiitsu 淇一 (ac. early 20th century)
Suzuribako with chrysanthemums
Item number: T-3041Size: H 1.5" x L 8.4" x W 7.2" (3.7 x 21.4 x 18.3 cm)
Age: 1910s
Box inscription, outside: On-suzuribako, kiku makie 御硯箱 菊蒔絵 (»Venerable writing box, chrysanthemum gold lacquer«)
Box inscription, inside: Kiitsu 淇一 with seal, Kiitsu 淇一
The viewer is faced with a veritable symphony on the theme of chrysanthemums, both outside and inside the box.
The artist has highlighted his many skills in making this superb writing box. The cover of the box is decorated with two groups of chrysanthemums with numerous flowers and buds, presented in takamakie high-relief gold lacquer in two tones. The leaves and the center of the flowers are adorned with many inlaid squares of kirigane gold foil. The flowers are placed on a bokashi ground that gradates from almost solid gold to faint sprinkles of gold powder on a roiro mirror-black ground. Inside the box is an elaborate removable tray that holds the suzuri ink stone and the lozenge-shaped silver suiteki water dropper in a chrysanthemum form—a finely chased work with a gilt center. The tray has two pairs of bridges to support the ink brushes, and the suzuri ink stone is gilt on the top edges and decorated in nashiji gold flakes on its other sides.
On the inside lid, the chrysanthemum are rendered against a bamboo fence in takamakie raised gold lacquer with fine details in inlaid kirigane gold foil pieces on a bokashi gold powder and nashiji gold flake ground. The inside and the bottom of the box are with evenly sprinkled nashiji gold flakes; the outside surfaces continue the decoration from the lid top. Silver rims enclose this fine rectangular lacquer box.
The chrysanthemum enjoys a number of symbolic meanings in East Asia. The one that is refereed to here is surely the Chinese poet Tao Qian (365 – 427), who described, in a famous poem, the chrysanthemum growing along his garden hedge, a motif that became a symbol for the poet. In this lacquer box we see Tao Qian’s flowers, recreated 1500 years after his death—perhaps as a tribute to the poet by the lacquer artist.
The writing box comes with its original kiri-wood tomobako box which is inscribed on the top and signed on the inside by the artist Kiitsu with his hexagonal seal. Lacquer scholarship has yet to find biographical material on this outstanding artist, who created his masterful appreciation of the chrysanthemum flower.
|