Hanaike in Green and Black Lacquer


A flower vase of compressed globular form, rising from a low, rounded shoulder to a tall cylindrical neck and a thick, everted mouth rim. The body and neck are lacquered in a deep bottle green, polished to a mirror gloss, with the rim finished in contrasting black. The vessel is left entirely undecorated, so the form and the depth of the lacquer carry the piece. It is fitted with a removable copper-alloy liner (otoshi) with a flared lip, which sits within the mouth so the vase can hold water for flowers. The vase itself is unsigned. The tomobako reads "Ryuan hanaike" and bears the seal Ryuan, suggesting this bottle was made by Ryuan Hatsusegawa, Kyoto.

Ryuan Hatsusegawa was a lacquer house in Kyoto, founded in 1792, whose workshop produced lacquer for daily use for more than two centuries. The house has since closed, and its former premises in central Kyoto are now a guesthouse.