96 - RINPA STYLE, AFTER OGATA KŌRIN (1658–1716)

RINPA STYLE, AFTER OGATA KŌRIN (1658–1716) Japan, late 19th or early 20th century Suzuribako decorated with a full moon, autumn grasses, and a hare Writing box (suzuribako) made of black lacquered wood, rectangular in shape with beveled sides. The lid is decorated in hira-maki-e and taka-maki-e using gold and silver to depict a full moon in gradations rising behind autumn grasses: pampas grass (susuki), bellflowers (kikyō), and burnet (waremokō). The design continues onto the sides. The underside of the lid, with a nashiji background, features a crouching hare in silver lacquer outlined in gold, next to a flowering plant rendered in polychrome lacquer in orange-red and green. The interior, lacquered black with gold borders, still holds its inkstone (suzuri) in a gilded frame and its rectangular dropper (suiteki) made of silver-plated metal. Signed in gold maki-e on the reverse of the lid: 青々光琳, Seisei Kōrin (apocryphal signature). Dimensions: 21 × 18.6 × 4.4 cm. Condition: fine scratches and slight haze on the lid; a small chip at one corner of the underside of the lid; oxidation of the suiteki; signs of use on the inkstone. Note: Seisei (青々) is one of Ogata Kōrin’s artist names; the signature “Seisei Kōrin” appears on the right panel of the Red and White Plum Blossoms screen (MOA Museum, National Treasure). As early as the 18th century, lacquer artists claiming to follow in Kōrin’s footsteps, such as Nagata Yūji, signed works under his name, and “Kōrin-style” lacquerware proliferated in the 19th and 20th centuries. The design of this box follows an ancient model, exemplified by the Kinuta suzuribako at the Tokyo National Museum: autumn grasses and a full moon on the lid, a hare among the grasses inside. The full moon, the autumn grasses, and the hare evoke the tradition of moon-viewing (tsukimi) and the legend of the moon hare pounding rice to make mochi. Hidden on the underside of the lid and revealed only when opened, the hare echoes the nocturnal landscape depicted on the outside.