Meiji period(1868–1912).
Gold and silver makie with bone and shell inlay on a zelkova ground.
33 x 17.8 x 10 cm. Fitted storage box.
Set against a richly grained zelkova background that perfectly frames the makie design, a thick bamboo trunk, broken off at its top, is boldly modelled in a lustrous gold takamakie. Two delicate leaved shoots branch off, their leaves finely worked in a range of gold makie techniques with inlayed shell and bone. On the lower branch a songbird, drawn in gold and silver hiramakie and takamakie, lightly balances, looking towards a subject just outside the frame of the design. Although primarily a decorative subject matter, this panel’s composition has life and movement through a masterful combination of the natural wood grain and the richly applied makie.