Sōmi
Octagonal Handled Flower Basket, 1930s
Bamboo and rattan
Size 12½ x 12 x 12 in. (32 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm)
T-4894
Further images
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 1
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 2
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 3
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 4
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 5
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 6
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 7
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 8
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 9
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 10
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 11
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 12
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 13
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 14
)
Madake (timber bamboo), rattan, lacquer, dust; twill plaiting (base); diagonal plaiting, “skipping” mat plaiting, twining, bending, wrapping, knotting; striated lacquered bamboo otoshi (water container) Signed underneath with incised characters: Sōmi...
Madake (timber bamboo), rattan, lacquer, dust; twill plaiting (base); diagonal plaiting, “skipping” mat plaiting, twining, bending, wrapping, knotting; striated lacquered bamboo otoshi (water container)
Signed underneath with incised characters: Sōmi
Although we have no information regarding the life and career of the artist, from the style of this impressive basket there can be no doubt that he or she was a pupil of, or worked under the direct influence of, Iizuka Hōsai II (1872–1934) or his younger brother Iizuka Rōkansai (1890–1958), the two most important members of a renowned family of basket makers with their origins in Tochigi Prefecture (north of Tokyo) who moved to the Japanese capital in 1910.
Among the wide range of more formal styles inaugurated by the two masters is that seen here, where the overall structure is formed by a hexagonal or octagonal framework of wider bamboo strips that are secured to the meticulous plaiting with knotted and wrapped rattan. In this particular case, an extra layer of richness and complexity was achieved by adding passages of twining and mat plaiting over a basic diagonal weave.
Signed underneath with incised characters: Sōmi
Although we have no information regarding the life and career of the artist, from the style of this impressive basket there can be no doubt that he or she was a pupil of, or worked under the direct influence of, Iizuka Hōsai II (1872–1934) or his younger brother Iizuka Rōkansai (1890–1958), the two most important members of a renowned family of basket makers with their origins in Tochigi Prefecture (north of Tokyo) who moved to the Japanese capital in 1910.
Among the wide range of more formal styles inaugurated by the two masters is that seen here, where the overall structure is formed by a hexagonal or octagonal framework of wider bamboo strips that are secured to the meticulous plaiting with knotted and wrapped rattan. In this particular case, an extra layer of richness and complexity was achieved by adding passages of twining and mat plaiting over a basic diagonal weave.