CHIKUROKUSAI: A BAMBOO AND RATTAN HANAKAGO (FLOWER BASKET)

拍品描述

CHIKUROKUSAI: A BAMBOO AND RATTAN HANAKAGO (FLOWER BASKET) By Chikurokusai, signed Chikurokusai Japan, early 20th century Of tall, cylindrical form rising from a slightly flaring foot woven in a key-fret pattern, the body expanding to gently rounded sides and an everted rim. The basket is masterfully woven from darkly smoked bamboo, combining areas of tight plaiting with sections of open latticework. The upper and central sections are articulated with finely spaced vertical slats transitioning into dense horizontal weaving, creating a refined interplay of structure and rhythm. The tall, arched handle is formed from a lighter bamboo strip, carefully bent and secured at the joints with binding strips and delicate rattan wrappings. Signed underneath CHIKUROKUSAI. HEIGHT 68.5 cm With a wood tomobako (storage box). Chikurokusai is recorded in the Bamboo Art Database (Arakawa & Moriguchi), where the artist is listed among early 20th-century bamboo practitioners. The work shows clear stylistic affinities with the Osaka tradition, particularly the lineage of Tanabe Chikuunsai I (1877-1937) and Tanabe Chikuunsai II (1910-2000), reflected in the emphasis on formal clarity, structural precision, and the interplay between openwork and tightly woven sections. Although less documented, Chikurokusai’s work demonstrates a comparable level of technical sophistication and aesthetic restraint characteristic of this important school of bamboo artistry. Auction comparison: Compare a related bamboo basket, by Tanabe Chikuunsai I, dated to the early 20th century, 64.5 cm, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art including the Collection of David and Nayda Utterberg, 22 March 2022, New York, lot 61 (sold for USD 6,930 or approx. EUR 7,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).

图片