Shelf with Fishing Nets and Herons 網干鷺蒔絵棚あぼしさぎまきえたな

Description

The Edo period, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, saw the emergence of various cabinets decorated to reflect the tastes of tea masters. Perhaps the owner of this cabinet kept a water jar behind the lower door for use during the tea ceremony.

The cabinet's surface is coated with black lacquer, with designs drawn on top, also using lacquer. Fine gold powder was sprinkled over the designs while the lacquer was still wet. The powder stuck and the lacquer hardened, creating the golden patterns we can see here. This technique is known as 'maki-e,' which literally means 'sprinkled picture.'

The shelves and door of the cabinet are adorned with designs of flying herons and fishing nets left out to dry. The fishing net motif was often seen in paintings and decorative art objects from the Azuchi-Momoyama period in the late 16th century. It seems people were attracted by the rhythm of the curved lines. With this cabinet, the linear structure of the shelf boards and posts blend harmoniously with the sweeping lines of the nets. Another highlight is provided by the herons, depicted here using silver powder. As they fly through the air, almost as if dancing, they exude a breezy elegance.

In an era before air conditioners, people used to make themselves feel cooler by looking at snow or waterside designs.

Lacquer artisans created bookshelves in a wide variety of designs during the prosperous Edo period (1603–1868). This example is decorated with images of fishing nets hung out to dry, a popular design at the time. The nets and birds are rendered in dense applications of gold and silver powders, affixed to the surface with lacquer.