Posted 2 years ago
racer4four
(620 items)
I first showed this lamp a few months ago as I eagerly awaited it's arrival, and now it is here!
It has been made by Kaoru Okawa who has been one of Hokuyo Glass most senior glass makers having worked there for close to 50 years.
This vase has been made as a studio piece, not for Hokuyo, and it demonstrates not just Okawa's great skill and creativity but also shows a very Japanese style.
The body of the lamp has been made from white glass over which has been added silver and gold sheets, trails of black, and white and orange spatter. It has three added black feet, a black button top, and is very textured. It is all very planned to give an impression of cherry blossom and the decor is very much from the Rinpa (or Rimpa) school of art.
Rinpa emerged in the 1550s and via a number of different artists and media, watercolours, calligraphy, pottery and lacquerware, it continued until around 1830. It is characterised by brightly colored patterns and scenes of nature, and the unique Rinpa style has continued since to inspire other artists centuries later. Glass artists such as Okawa and Kurioki have translated Rinpa to glass using overlays of colour to give a multi layered and textured decor.
Disappointingly this lamp is not as vibrant and fabulous when lit. I'm still very happy to own it and admire it.
Height 24cm width 21cm
Super gorgeous lamp Karen with such great texture, I am transported to the blossoming trees of Kyoto
Fantastic! It's great how the Japanese do things differently, more variety is good.
Wow, so quick Jenni! I agree it is so reminiscent of trees blossoming and being a nature person I find it very calming.
I'm so glad you get it!
I think that difference is what got me sucked in to Japanese glass Bernard. I don't think this could have been made anywhere else!
Thanks for the love and appreciation.
Amazingly beautiful and so totally asymmetrical that it will always be a joy for the spirit. Perhaps a very low wattage bulb might give it a little glow without greatly changing its character.......
Glorious Glass !!!
I have a problem sourcing globes for my Japanese lamps Peggy because they are different voltage and a very unusual size Edison screw, so I'm pretty stuck with the wattage I have. I have been thinking of using a small battery LED in it, so we are on the right track.
It sits near the window and through the day changes with the passing of the sun so it does remain a joy to the spirit.
Thanks!
Thanks Kevin.
Special in my collection.
A real beauty!
Thanks VL!
Would fit in nicely at your eclectic household.
What a breathtaking piece. I just about fell off my chair when I saw these photos. This is unbelievably beautiful art. I am so glad you shared these pictures. Truly a treasure!
I'm hesitating to mention this, nonetheless, here goes...
I wonder if, strictly speaking, this might be ume (plum) blossoms rather than sakura (cherry)? Traditionally ume is usually depicted as red and white, rather than pink. And its branches are thicker and more jagged than sakura, often going off at right angles to one another. So the lines of these branches, and the vermilion-and-white spatters, seem very ume-like to me. Which is a good thing! It's the classic flower of the Heian period, the one that poets and novelists wrote about, and they even made incense out of it. (It has a similar symbolism to sakura, as I'm sure you know, but seasonally it's earlier, so it appears in late winter and is viewed as a harbinger of spring.)
I'm very glad you responded RhineisFine and talked about the plum blossoms rather than cherry.
I did some more research on Rinpa art, and plum does seem to be a more common blossom feature than cherry. You know I always appreciate your take on Japanese culture because of your wide and strong knowledge of it, and I will always appreciate any correction or information you give me.
Many thanks!
Karen