Fan and Insect Cage 1807 - 1868

Shibata Zeshin, who was active in nineteenth-century Japan, made this painting with ink, color, and gold on paper. What might seem like a simple still life – a fan and insect cage – actually offers us a lot to think about when it comes to materials and making. Look closely, and you’ll notice the artist has really pushed the medium of lacquer. The fan, for example, is rendered with such a high level of detail, that the black color has a deep, almost three-dimensional quality. Zeshin’s mastery of lacquer was exceptional, he had trained as a restorer of lacquerware early in his career, eventually developing his own style of painting that incorporated the material’s unique qualities. It’s worth considering how this piece blurs the lines between craft and fine art. Zeshin took the skills and techniques associated with traditional craft practices, and elevated them to the level of high art. This reminds us that the value and meaning of an artwork are not just about the image, but the materials, making, and its cultural context.