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Japanese Gourd Shaped Bamboo and Wood Ikebana Basket browse these categories for related items... All Items: Archives:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese: Pre 1920: item # 883699 Please refer to our stock # 11C-030 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book SOLD |
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This elegant split bamboo flower arranging basket (“hanaire” or “hanakago”) is beautifully plaited in the form of a double gourd or “hyotan.” Meiji/Taisho period, early 20th century. Two large delicate bamboo pods rest on a sturdy support frame of twisted tree roots and branches, likely wisteria. These rustic gnarled wood pieces provide a lively contrast of textures to the irregular “midare” plaiting of the traditional gourd shape. Midare, which utilizes bamboo strips freely plaited and inserted in random areas around the body, is a popular style for Japanese flower baskets. Incorporating both thick and thin widths of bamboo, the freestyle midare plaiting produces a powerful and expressionistic character in this particular basket form. There is a round opening in the bottom horizontal section which would have held a watertight metal flower container. Since the sixteenth century, woven baskets for flowers have been favorites for use in the tea ceremony. Designed to contain fresh-cut flowers, flower baskets were also used in shrines and in the alcoves in Japanese homes (“tokonoma”), providing an atmosphere conducive to the quiet and tranquil contemplation of nature. While bamboo baskets have served various utilitarian functions in Japanese daily life for centuries, they also have been valued for their beauty. They express a Japanese aesthetic rooted in simplicity, humble natural materials and imperfect beauty. Beginning in the Meiji period, Japanese basket makers gradually transformed traditional flower baskets from utilitarian containers into sculptural masterpieces crafted in a variety of shapes, weaves and knots. Japanese baskets make aesthetically pleasing flower containers, since they bring the garden indoors and lend themselves well to natural arrangements. CONDITION is excellent, with only normal wear consistent with age and usage. There is a wonderful old finish and patina to the bamboo. DIMENSIONS: 16 ½” (42 cm) high to top of vertical branch; 7 ½” (19 cm) high to top of horizontal segment; approximately 17” (43.2 cm) long and 8” (20.3 cm) wide. |
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