Keyaki wood (Zelkova serrata) and urushi lacquer
4 (h) x 46 x 45 cm
Edo period (1603-1868), 19th century
Ha-Bon
Sencha tray in the shape of a winnowing basket
Anonymous
Kansai region
While it appears at first glance to be a woven basketry, this tray is actually a wooden sculpture imitating a bamboo winnowing tray. Here the sculptor wanted to magnify “old things” by reproducing
the accidents and wear and tear of age.
Should we see in this trompe-l’oeil a metaphor for our own condition and the passage of time or simply a deep respect for the object of everyday life and the hand of the craftsman?