Due to strong continuities of type and style in this most characteristically Japanese of arts, the first of the two parts making up this volume includes several pieces dating from the 17th to the 19th century.
The revival of the classical style is covered in depth, with major works by such revered figures as Nakayama Komin (1808–70) and Shirayama Shosai (1853–1923) and there is a large group of examples of shibayama work which combines lacquer with other materials to create a rich and exotic effect.
The centrepiece of the Collection is an extravagantly decorated cabinet by Harui Komin (b. 1869) presented by the Japanese Crown Prince to the future King Edward VIII of England in 1921.
An introductory essay by Julia Hutt of the Victoria and Albert Museum chronicles the development of lacquer in response to Western demand, while Edward Wrangham, one of the world’s foremost lacquer collectors, contributes an article on the Rimpa style.
The late Dr Oliver Impey – Senior Curator, Ashmolean Museum; Reader in Japanese Art, University of Oxford
Malcolm Fairley – Formerly of Sotheby’s and Barry Davies Oriental Art; now co-owner of the Asian Art Gallery, London
Joe Earle – Senior Consultant for Japanese Works of Art, Bonhams, London; former Director of the Japan Society Gallery, New York and Chair of the Department of the Art of Asia, Oceania and Africa, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
Goke Tadaomi – Former Professor, Faculty of Domestic Sciences, Kyoritsu Women’s University
Julia Hutt – Curator, Japan, Asian Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Late Edward Wrangham – Author and collector of Japanese lacquer specialising in Inro
Set of two parts; 556 pages; fully illustrated in colour; 40 x 30 cm; hardback with slipcase; 1995; ISBN: 978-1-874780-04-5
