Not currently on display at the V&A

Box

ca. 1900-12 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This small, elegant box has applied rims of either blackened silver or shakudo, and the copper body is decorated in gold yusen enamels with a flower arrangement representing the four seasons (narcissus, peony, plum, chrysanthemum and grapes on a vine) in a woven basket. Areas of the leaves, petals and grapes are rendered in subtle and naturalistic shaded enamels on a pale grey enamel ground. The use of space is typically Japanese, as is the way in which sections of the grapevine and plum blossom continue from the lid across the rim and onto the main body. The lid has a gold yusen seal with the two characters Kawade [Shibataro] in a red enamel double gourd. There is some uncertainty about the nature of the material used on the rims. Shakudo is an alloy of copper with a small percentage of gold which can be patinated to a blue-black colour. However, a similar finish can be achieved by smoking silver with sulphur sticks to produce a silver-sulphide layer. The latter process, which is cheaper and quicker, was frequently used by cloisonné makers and is extremely difficult to distinguish from shakudo.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Lid
  • Box
Materials and techniques
Cloisonné enamel vase decorated with gold <i>yuse</i><i>n</i> (with wire) enamels.
Brief description
Cloisonné enamel box with floral decoration, mark of Kawade Shibataro, Nagoya, Japan, c.1900-12.
Physical description
Box decorated with a flower arrangement, representing the four seasons, in a woven basket, with sections of grapevine and plum blossom continuing from the lid across the rim and onto the main body. With the mark of Kawade Shibataro. The box has a copper body with applied, blackened silver or shakudo (alloy of copper containing a fraction of gold) rims.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5cm
  • Width: 12cm
Content description
basket, flowers
Marks and inscriptions
(With the mark of Kawade Shibataro)
Credit line
Given by Edwin Davies
Summary
This small, elegant box has applied rims of either blackened silver or shakudo, and the copper body is decorated in gold yusen enamels with a flower arrangement representing the four seasons (narcissus, peony, plum, chrysanthemum and grapes on a vine) in a woven basket. Areas of the leaves, petals and grapes are rendered in subtle and naturalistic shaded enamels on a pale grey enamel ground. The use of space is typically Japanese, as is the way in which sections of the grapevine and plum blossom continue from the lid across the rim and onto the main body. The lid has a gold yusen seal with the two characters Kawade [Shibataro] in a red enamel double gourd. There is some uncertainty about the nature of the material used on the rims. Shakudo is an alloy of copper with a small percentage of gold which can be patinated to a blue-black colour. However, a similar finish can be achieved by smoking silver with sulphur sticks to produce a silver-sulphide layer. The latter process, which is cheaper and quicker, was frequently used by cloisonné makers and is extremely difficult to distinguish from shakudo.
Bibliographic reference
Japanese Cloisonne Irvine, Gregory. Japanese Cloisonné. (London:V&A Publications, 2006), p. 74
Other number
ED 253 - Edwin Davies collection number
Collection
Accession number
FE.33:1, 2-2011

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Record createdFebruary 16, 2011
Record URL
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