177 - YAMAZAKI MUSHU: A VERY FINE LACQUER ‘MIRACLE GRASS’ NATSUME (TEA CADDY)

YAMAZAKI MUSHU: A VERY FINE LACQUER ‘MIRACLE GRASS’ NATSUME (TEA CADDY) By Yamazaki Mushu (b. 1966), signed Mushu Japan, 2010, Heisei period (1989-2019) Published: Erik Thomsen Gallery, Contemporary Lacquer by Yamazaki Mushu, New York, cat. no. 8. Of elegant, elongated form with a flush-fitting cover, the exterior bearing a lustrous roiro ground delicately sprinkled with gold kinpun and flakes. Masterfully decorated in gold takamaki-e and hiramaki-e, with intricate details in powdered shell and gold, silver, and platinum foil, depicting slender clover plants with delicate leaves and blossoms rising gracefully around the sides. The interior and base are finished in dense nashiji with fundame rims. Signed underneath MUSHU with seal. HEIGHT 8.9 cm, DIAMETER 5.7 cm Provenance: Erik Thomsen Gallery, New York. The private estate of Jay Jones (1924-2024) and Mary Jayne Jones (1924-2022), Washington State, USA, acquired from the above. Married for 72 years, Jay and Mary Jayne Jones were passionate collectors with diverse artistic interests, ranging from Inuit sculpture and archaic Asian artifacts to fine Japanese screens and early 20th-century lacquer writing boxes, many acquired from Naga Antiques in New York. Condition: Excellent condition. With the original wood tomobako (storage box), titled Kisekikusa naganatsume [Tall Tea Caddy with Miracle Grass]. Yamazaki Mushu (born 1966), originally named Yamazaki Atsushi, is a distinguished contemporary master of Kaga maki-e, the refined lacquer tradition of Ishikawa Prefecture. Born the eldest son of lacquer master Yamazaki Geishu, he entered the workshop of Nakamura Shōzō in 1985, receiving rigorous training in traditional lacquer techniques. In 1990, he established himself independently and adopted the artistic name Mushu, meaning ‘Dream Boat,’ expressing his ambition to transform his artistic visions into tangible form through lacquer. While remaining faithful to the exacting standards of his training, Mushu has developed a distinctive artistic vocabulary, combining traditional gold and silver maki-e with colored lacquers and an unusually rich variety of decorative materials. Introduced to New York audiences by Erik Thomsen in 2006, his works have since been exhibited extensively in Japan and internationally. He received the prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize at Japan's National Lacquerware Exhibition in both 2015 and 2016. His works are represented in the collections of the Harvard Art Museums and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Auction comparison: Compare a related lacquer nagatebako (accessory box) by the same artist, dated 2007, 21.3 x 8.6 x 4.7 cm, at Bonhams, The Alan and Simone Hartman Collection, 14 December 2023, New York, lot 104 (sold for USD 5,120 or approx. EUR 5,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).