Brush Holder with Spiderwort Flowers

Tadasaburō sometimes used the art name “Kōrin,” revealing his indebtedness to traditional Rinpa aesthetics alongside his embrace of the Art Nouveau sensibilities of the age. Although this vessel conceivably was made as a vase, the simplicity of its form and muted colors suggest that it was intended for domestic sale as a brush holder at a time when functional items for use in Japanese homes became an increasingly important portion of the market for high-quality art goods. Its quiet decoration, limited to one side, reveals exquisite, minute wirework within the tiny leaves. Combining traditional form and decoration with cutting-edge technique, the piece embodies the increasing confidence and pride in Japan and its modernity following the turn of the century. The top rim extends two inches down the interior of the piece and is anchored from within by round studs that pierce the enameled surface. While attesting to the importance paid by the maker to the vessel’s creation, this highly unusual and difficult arrangement risked damage to the enamels and may have unintentionally caused the hairline cracks that run from the rim.