Tobacco box, lacquer by Zeshin, Japan, 1850-1890

Zeshin was the most creative influence in the field of lacquer during the second half of the nineteenth century. Through an intensive study of past lacquer masterpieces, Zeshin developed an enormous interest in lacquer techniques. He perfected lacquer surfaces imitating other materials, such as bronze, ceramic and stone.

He rediscovered how to produce seigaiha-nuri ('blue sea wave', a combed wave technique in low relief), a technique reputed to have been introduced by Seigai Kanshichi in the Genroku era (1688-1704). Tobacco box ( tonkotsu ) and lid, the substrate made by fixing hemp over a mould with lacquer, a technique often known as 'dry lacquer' ( kanshitsu ), in the form of a rectangular container with rounded corners, being wider at the bottom than the top, covered in brown-black lacquer, with a design of swirling waves at the water's edge from the bottom left to the top right of one large side and over to the other in seigaihanuri ('blue sea wave lacquer', a combed wave lacquer technique in low relief), with the focal point being on one small side, this having the addition of waves, rock, shells, and seaweed in takamaki-e (a maki-e technique in which parts of the design can be raised by clay or charcoal powder) and urushi-e (painting on lacquer in lacquer) in black lacquer.

Strange V&A catalogue no. 1014