page_title: Meiji (era)
section_title: Lacquerware
hierarchical_section_title: Meiji (era) / Art / Lacquerware
caption_attribution_description: English: ‘Waves’ Panel, Japan, 1888-1890. From the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art of the Meiji Period. Described at https://www.khalilicollections.org/collections/japanese-art-of-the-meiji-period/khalili-collections-japanese-art-of-the-meiji-period-panel-gl2/
context_page_description: The Meiji era is an era of Japanese history which extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. This era represents the first half of the Empire of Japan, during which period the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonisation by European powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialised nation state and emergent great power, influenced by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas. As a result of such wholesale adoption of radically-different ideas, the changes to Japan were profound, and affected its social structure, internal politics, economy, military, and foreign relations. The period corresponded to the reign of Emperor Meiji. It was preceded by the Keiō era and was succeeded by the Taishō era, upon the accession of Emperor Taishō.
  To convert any Gregorian calendar year between 1868 and 1912 to Japanese calendar year in Meiji era, 1867 needs to be subtracted from the year in question.
context_section_description: Gold- or silver-decorated lacquerwares had been popular in the Edo period, but fell out of favour in the early nineteenth-century due to economic hardship. The Meiji era saw a renewed interest in lacquer as artists developed new designs and experimented with new textures and finishes. Foremost among these was Shibata Zeshin, who has been called "Japan's greatest lacquerer". The appeal of his highly original style was in the choice of motifs and subject matter rather than embedded gold and silver. He placed lacquer panels in frames, imitating Western oil paintings. Other notable lacquer artists of the 19th century include Nakayama Komin and Shirayama Shosai, both of whom, in contrast with Zeshin, maintained a classical style that owed a lot to Chinese landscape art. Maki-e, decorating the lacquer in gold or silver dust, was the most common technique for quality lacquerware in this period. Lacquer from Japanese workshops was recognised as technically superior to what could be produced anywhere else in the world.
caption: "Waves" maki-e panel by Shibata Zeshin, 1888-1890
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