Tray by ISOI Masami (b.1926)
Japanese, late 20th century
40 x 36 x 3.5 cm.
Artist’s seal on base. With signed and sealed tomobako

Incised and colour-filled lacquer technique, kinma, over a woven bamboo base, rantai shikki.

Bamboo lies at the heart of this spectacular piece. Its design perfectly captures a hillside of bamboo swaying in a breeze, evoking the characteristic rustling of leaves. It is a scene alive with movement. Created over a subtly undulating carved background, a rich palette of greens and yellows delicately depicts the forest. However, the true bamboo is unseen – a core of woven bamboo strips, creating the gently rounded form of the tray itself.

The artist, Isoi Masami, received the title of Living National Treasure for this ‘incised and colour-filled’ lacquer technique, kinma. He continues to be a regular exhibitor at the annual exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts, the Nihon Dento Kogei-ten, where a similar piece, depicting Cherry Blossom by Moonlight, was exhibited in 2000. In 2007 his work was selected for inclusion in the British Museum exhibition Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan.