PRINTPROVENANCE:
Private collection, Japan
Private collection, Japan
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665
GOLD AND SILVER INLAID INCENSE BOX SHOWING A SCENE FROM KYOTO BY KYOTO ARTIST KOMAI OTOJIRO
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L: 6.3 cm |
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Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 126,000 - 168,000 3,900 - 5,200
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Catalogue Note
This charming little box is also a practical utensil. The tiny silver and gold strings, less than 0.1mm in width, have to be inlaid into the metal surface with great patience and skill, a work that requires long experience and mature craftsmanship. The result is a scene of Kyoto brimming with classical beauty and refinement. Since this kind of filigree work requires much time, it can take anywhere from several months to three or even five years to complete one single piece. Place this kind of petit treasure in your tearoom, and it will add a whole new layer of attraction and class to any tea ceremony you may wish to perform. This lot can truly round off a perfect collection of tea paraphernalia.
Komai Otojiro (1842-1917) is considered the grandmaster of Kyoto’s gold and silver inlay craft. He is most famous for his unique nunome zogan technique, allowing him to create an unrivaled artistic style and language. It is therefore also referred to as Komai zogan style. The Komai clan had run a bladesmith and cutler business in the Kyoto area for many generations, and Otojiro made his first steps as a craftsman as a 13-year-old when he began to learn inlay work from Master Misaki Shusuke. When the Meiji government issued the Haitorei Edict in 1876, abolishing the carrying of swords and other weapons in public, many smiths, including the Komai family, switched to the production of Western-style decorative articles and jewelry, catering both to domestic and overseas markets.
The Komais won awards at the 1903 National Industrial Exhibition in Osaka, Japan, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition in St. Louis, USA, and the Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Liege, Belgium, in 1905. The Komai clan were especially well known for their superior gold and silver filigree, employing both onlay and inlay techniques. Perusing the catalogues of the above-mentioned exhibitions, one finds that their work ranged from decorative objects and small furniture to basins, bamboo vessels, boxes, vases, plates, and jewelry. Most of their output was focused on smaller items, with a clear emphasis on elaborately designed and painstakingly executed filigree and other ornamental features. In this particular niche, their achievement remains unmatched.
Before he reached the age of 48, Komai Otojiro’s name rarely appeared in international or Japanese lists of artists, but as he entered his sixth decade, both critics and collectors began to turn their attention to his work. Today, his place in the history of arts and crafts is secure, and his work is found in the collections of museums and galleries in Japan, Taiwan, the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, and other countries around the world.
Komai Otojiro (1842-1917) is considered the grandmaster of Kyoto’s gold and silver inlay craft. He is most famous for his unique nunome zogan technique, allowing him to create an unrivaled artistic style and language. It is therefore also referred to as Komai zogan style. The Komai clan had run a bladesmith and cutler business in the Kyoto area for many generations, and Otojiro made his first steps as a craftsman as a 13-year-old when he began to learn inlay work from Master Misaki Shusuke. When the Meiji government issued the Haitorei Edict in 1876, abolishing the carrying of swords and other weapons in public, many smiths, including the Komai family, switched to the production of Western-style decorative articles and jewelry, catering both to domestic and overseas markets.
The Komais won awards at the 1903 National Industrial Exhibition in Osaka, Japan, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition in St. Louis, USA, and the Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Liege, Belgium, in 1905. The Komai clan were especially well known for their superior gold and silver filigree, employing both onlay and inlay techniques. Perusing the catalogues of the above-mentioned exhibitions, one finds that their work ranged from decorative objects and small furniture to basins, bamboo vessels, boxes, vases, plates, and jewelry. Most of their output was focused on smaller items, with a clear emphasis on elaborately designed and painstakingly executed filigree and other ornamental features. In this particular niche, their achievement remains unmatched.
Before he reached the age of 48, Komai Otojiro’s name rarely appeared in international or Japanese lists of artists, but as he entered his sixth decade, both critics and collectors began to turn their attention to his work. Today, his place in the history of arts and crafts is secure, and his work is found in the collections of museums and galleries in Japan, Taiwan, the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, and other countries around the world.