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Hanging Flower Basket (T-4222)

Creator: Iizuka Rokansai
Offered by: Thomsen Gallery

Description
Madake bamboo; free-style diagonal plaiting, wrapping; vertically scored and lacquered otoshi (water container)

Fitted wood tomobako storage box inscribed outside 'Flower basket' and sealed 'Toan'; signed inside 'Made by Rokansai'; seal: Rokansai

A characteristic example of Rokansai’s gyo or semi-formal style.

Arguably the most creative and influential of all Japanese bamboo artists, Iizuka Rokansai was born the youngest son of Iizuka Hosai I, and began his training in bamboo art under his father at the age of 12. During his teenage years he briefly aspired to become a painter, but soon decided to make it his life’s mission to raise the family craft to a higher level of artistry and refinement. To that end, he immersed himself not just in technical training, but also in the study of Chinese and Japanese literature, as well as calligraphy and other aspects of traditional Japanese art. Rokansai categorized bamboo art in the same way as calligraphy or flower-arrangement, as either shin (formal), gyo (semiformal), or so (informal). Although he excelled in all three manners, he described the so, while superficially relaxed and freestyle, as the most difficult to execute because it demands the greatest clarity of artistic vision; the present work is an outstanding example of so basketry. By 1910 Rokansai was already accomplished enough to work on pieces that would be signed by his eldest brother, Hosai II. He first received public recognition in 1922 when he exhibited at the Peace Memorial Tokyo Exposition, winning a silver medal; he also participated in the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes, held in Paris in 1925. He showed at the Teiten national fine arts exhibition and its successors from 1931 until the end of his life.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Notes:	Signed on the original storage box
Origin:	Japan
Period:	1920-1949
Materials:	Bamboo
Condition:	Good. Excellent condition
Creation Date:	1930s
Styles / Movements:	Modern, Asian
Patterns:	Asian/Oriental, Handmade
Dealer Reference #:	T-4222
Incollect Reference #:	567072

Dimensions

W.	5.12 in;	H.	8.27 in;	D.	4.92 in;
W.	13 cm;	H.	21 cm;	D.	12.5 cm;

Message from Seller:

Thomsen Gallery, located at 9 East 63rd Street in New York City, specializes in important Japanese paintings, screens, scrolls, ceramics, ikebana bamboo baskets, and lacquer objects, as well as contemporary works by select artists. Owned by Erik and Cornelia Thomsen, the gallery offers a wealth of expertise in Japanese art, with global clientele including collectors and museums. Reach them at 212-288-2588 or info@thomsengallery.com