Gourd-Shaped Basket
The bamboo basket was made to hold a small flower arrangement. Not only do flowers and plants indicate the changes of the seasons, so much admired in Japanese culture, but they are also associated with festivities, and flower arrangements are integral to tea gatherings. The shape of this flower basket has numerous associations—gourds are an auspicious symbol of fertility and commercial success, appear in Daoist legends, and were used to hold water and sake.
Artwork Details
- 瓢箪形掛花籠
- Title: Gourd-Shaped Basket
- Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
- Date: mid-19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Bamboo, rattan
- Dimensions: H. (with handle) 20 1/2 in. (52.1 cm); W. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
- Classification: Basketry
- Credit Line: Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
- Object Number: 91.1.2078a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Hayakawa Shōkosai I
ca. 1877–80s
Hayakawa Shōkosai I
ca. 1870s–80s
Japan
19th century
Japan or China
late 19th century
Japan
19th century
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