Letter holder
A letter holder (jōsashi 状差し) consisting of a drawer and an ornately carved back plate that can be hung on the wall. The object is painted with floral and bird motifs, which are a distinct genre in Chinese and Japanese painting. The stylised iconography depicts nature in warm colours: Japanese warblers, plum blossoms, bindweed, fish and butterflies, with most of the painted animals backed by a painted circle or rectangle. The letter holder is shaped differently from those used in Japan. This and the technique of the workmanship indicate that it was probably made in Japan and intended for the Western market. (KH)
Material description: wood, lacquer
Manufacturing technique: carved wood, glue, lacquer, painting
Dimensions: width: 20.3 cm, height: 35.5 cm
No. of parts: 1
Current owner: Celje Regional Museum
Date of the last acquisition: 1957–1960
Previous owners and periods of ownership: Alma M. Karlin, Thea Schreiber Gammelin, Celje Regional Museum
Object condition, handling and damage: well preserved
History of exhibition: Celje Regional Museum, Celje, 16.10.2019–31.5.2020 (exhibition: Azija me je povsem uročila [Asia Utterly Bewitched Me])
Press releases: HRVATIN, Klara. 2019. Japonski lakirani predmeti [Japanese Lacquerware] in Azija me je povsem uročila [Asia Utterly Bewitched Me] catalogue of the special exhibition on the occasion of the 130th birthday of Alma M. Karlin and the 100th anniversary of her departure on a trip around the world. Celje Regional Museum; Ljubljana: Scientific publishing house of the Faculty of Arts: 55–58.
Do you have a comment or additional information about the subject?