田中篁斎造　古箭竹盛籃|Fruit Tray (Morikago) with Antique Bamboo Arrows

Tanaka Kōsai

1946 · Smoked timber bamboo, antique bamboo arrows with lacquer and gold leaf, and rattan · Asian Art

The Kyoto-based artist Tanaka Kōsai is one of the few bamboo masters linking the prewar and postwar worlds of studio basketry. This elegant piece is constructed from old bamboo arrows, some of which are decorated with red or black lacquer or gold leaf. It was shown at the second Nitten in 1946, making it one of the first group of bamboo works accepted by the prestigious exhibition. In the 1910s Tanabe Chikuunsai I and Maeda Chikubōsai I began to incorporate antique arrows into their compositions.

Artist

Tanaka Kōsai

Date

1946

Medium

Smoked timber bamboo, antique bamboo arrows with lacquer and gold leaf, and rattan

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Diane and Arthur Abbey, 2019