155 - SHIBATA ZESHIN: A FINE URUSHI-E ‘CLAMS AND SASA’ PAINTING

SHIBATA ZESHIN: A FINE URUSHI-E ‘CLAMS AND SASA’ PAINTING By Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), signed Zeshin utsusu and sealed Zeshin Japan, c. 1880s, Meiji period (1868-1912) Urushi-e (lacquer) on paper. Mounted on paper with a silk brocade border and framed behind glass. Finely painted in a restrained palette of warm ochre, brown, and black lacquer, depicting a delicate arrangement of sasa bamboo leaves and scattered clam shells. The long, slender leaves extend diagonally across the composition, their finely articulated veins contrasting with the rounded forms and subtly patterned surfaces of the shells. Executed with remarkably economical yet assured brushwork, the arrangement occupies only the lower portion of the sheet, surrounded by generous empty space, lending the composition a sense of quiet elegance and refinement. Inscriptions: To the left signed Zeshin utsusu, 是真寫, [painted by Zeshin] and sealed Zeshin 是真. Image SIZE 13.5 x 13.1 cm and SIZE incl. mounting 29.1 x 24 cm Provenance: The Collection of Jay R. Butterman, New York, United States. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and fading to colors. The gilt frame with flaking and small nicks. Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) was among the most celebrated and innovative lacquer artists of nineteenth-century Japan. Trained in traditional lacquer techniques and Shijo-school painting, he revolutionized the medium through his development of urushi-e, a technique of painting directly onto specially prepared paper with lacquer, achieving the expressive freedom of ink painting while exploiting the distinctive colors, textures, and depth of lacquer. His remarkable versatility extended to painting, lacquerware, and printmaking, earning him international recognition and appointment as a Teishitsu Gigeiin (Imperial Court Artist) in 1890. The present composition combines Zeshin's characteristic sensitivity to the natural world with subtle auspicious symbolism. Clam shells, particularly those of the hamaguri, traditionally symbolize marital harmony and fidelity, while the evergreen sasa bamboo suggests resilience and enduring vitality. Bamboo branches are also associated with the worship of Ebisu, the patron deity of fishermen and prosperity, lending the imagery a possible further allusion to abundance and good fortune. Such associations enrich an otherwise deceptively simple still life, exemplifying Zeshin's ability to invest ordinary natural subjects with poetic significance. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related urushi-e painting titled Bamboo Shoots by the same artist, similarly executed in lacquer on paper, dated to circa 1880s, 11.4 x 8.9 cm, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 36.100.126. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related urushi-e painting titled Shells by the same artist, executed in lacquer, ink, and color on paper with mother-of-pearl and gold foil embellishments, 19.1 x 16.7 cm, at Christie's, The Joseph Collection of Japanese Art, 11 November 2015, London, lot 34 (sold for GBP 15,000 or approx. EUR 26,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).