A CONTEMPORARY LACQUER TEA-CADDY

SIGNED SUIKO (TOYOHIRA), 20TH CENTURY

Details

A CONTEMPORARY LACQUER TEA-CADDY
Signed Suiko (Toyohira), 20th Century
A tea-caddy natsume in squat form with a flush-fitting lid, the sides and lid covered in brown lacquer and decorated in gold, silver and coloured lacquer, gold e-nashiji and shell inlay with scattered fans, the motifs on the fans including the katawa-guruma [submerged carriage-wheels, see lot no.175], ominaeshi [valerian], camellias, chrysanthemums and rafts, the design on the sides continued on the interior riser, the inside with multi-coloured gold and silver particles in varying sizes and densities against a silver lacquer ground, the base similarly lacquered with a seal-shaped signature in the centre Suiko, with original wood box signed by the artist
3in. (9cm.) diam.

Lot Essay

Toyohira Suiko was a pupil of his father Toyohira Suisen. Suisen had started his career as a lacquer restorer and studied under Moriya Shotei, who was born in Kyoto and studied from 1908 with Shirayama Shosai (1853-1923). The lacquer skills and techniques that Suiko uses are strongly influenced by Shosai; therefore he could be considered the last representative of the Shosai school. He specialised and developed the 'marbling' technique used to suggest water as found on the above lot

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