Nishimura Hikobei VIII (Zōhiko)
Tiered Box for Writing Utensils with Seasonal Flowers, 1920s
Maki-e gold, silver and black lacquer on wood
Size 3¼ x 4¾ x 8½ in. (8.5 x 12.3 x 21.5 cm)
T-4978
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A two-tiered suzuribako of rectilinear form comprising a base supported on four low bracket feet; an upper compartment; an ita (board) enclosing a suzuri (ink-grinding stone) and suiteki (water dropper);...
A two-tiered suzuribako of rectilinear form comprising a base supported on four low bracket feet; an upper compartment; an ita (board) enclosing a suzuri (ink-grinding stone) and suiteki (water dropper); and a flat lid, all covered in roiro polished black lacquer, the exterior decorated in gold hiramaki-e and silver foil with embellishments of gold kinpun powder depicting nine different seasonal plants in flower: ajisai (hydrangea), botan (peony), fuyō (hibiscus), kikyō (Chinese balloonflower), nadeshiko (fringed pink), sakura (cherry), suisen (narcissus), tessen (clematis), and tsubaki (camellia), the rims gold lacquer, the interior surfaces finished in roiro and sparse gold and silver hirame flakes, the suiteki of chiseled silver, in the form of a chrysanthemum blossom
Comes with its original fitted paulownia-wood tomobako storage box inscribed with a later title Shiki kusabana maki-e roiro nijū suzuribako (Tiered Box for Writing Utensils with Flowers of the Four Seasons in Maki-e on a Black-Lacquer Ground), the reverse of the lid signed Heian Zōhiko tsukuru (Made by Zōhiko of Kyoto), and sealed Zōhiko with the Zōhiko Company’s elephant logo followed by the character hiko
This elegant set of boxes, depicting a range of floral motifs that would make it suitable for use at any time of the year, was made by the Zōhiko Company. Founded by Nishimura Hikobei, head of a Kyoto dynasty of lacquer craftsmen and entrepreneurs, it started business in the late seventeenth century. The Zōhiko brand rose to prominence after the Meiji Restoration of 1867-1868 thanks especially to the patronage of the Mitsui, Sumitomo, and other wealthy industrialist families that commissioned their highly decorated and exquisitely crafted lacquered boxes and furniture as gifts both for their own use and, often, as gifts to the Imperial Household.
Comes with its original fitted paulownia-wood tomobako storage box inscribed with a later title Shiki kusabana maki-e roiro nijū suzuribako (Tiered Box for Writing Utensils with Flowers of the Four Seasons in Maki-e on a Black-Lacquer Ground), the reverse of the lid signed Heian Zōhiko tsukuru (Made by Zōhiko of Kyoto), and sealed Zōhiko with the Zōhiko Company’s elephant logo followed by the character hiko
This elegant set of boxes, depicting a range of floral motifs that would make it suitable for use at any time of the year, was made by the Zōhiko Company. Founded by Nishimura Hikobei, head of a Kyoto dynasty of lacquer craftsmen and entrepreneurs, it started business in the late seventeenth century. The Zōhiko brand rose to prominence after the Meiji Restoration of 1867-1868 thanks especially to the patronage of the Mitsui, Sumitomo, and other wealthy industrialist families that commissioned their highly decorated and exquisitely crafted lacquered boxes and furniture as gifts both for their own use and, often, as gifts to the Imperial Household.