Lot 229: An inlaid shirokiri (white paulownia) wood box and cover By Asahi Gyokuzan (1843-1923), late Meiji Period

By Asahi Gyokuzan (1843-1923), late Meiji Period
The right hand corner of the cover exquisitely ornamented in relief with three ducks swimming in a diagonal formation, the interior of the cover sparsely strewn with cherry florets and petals inlaid in mother-of-pearl, all reserved against the natural-wood-grain ground, the rims of the cover and box of silver; the underside of the box signed with seal Asahi; with wood storage box. 4.5cm x 24.7cm x 22cm (1¾in x 9¾in x 8 5/8in). (3).

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The style demonstrates perfectly the artist's preference for a simple but elegant presentation, his talent for composition and cultivated sensibility. The design contrasts both in relief, colour and texture with the unadorned natural wood frame, leaving a large expanse of empty space to evoke a sense of calm.

The whole is carefully conceived to balance the shape of the box with its decoration whilst anticipating the look and the function of the finished object. Indeed Gyokuzan gives the distinct impression that the design was crafted expressly to decorate only the area of the container that the eye would first be drawn to.

Compare with a similar oval white paulownia box and cover with duck design by the artist, made as an exhibit for the Japan-British Exhibition in Meiji 43 (1910), illustrated in the Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum Exhibition Catalogue, Exquisitely Crafted Ivory and Wood Carving of the Meiji Period, August 2009, pp. 24 & 25.

See also the footnote to lot 230.