Incense Stand in the Form of Lotus Leaf with Holder in the Form of a Prunus Blossom

Artist: Imai Ōshin, Japanese, 1874–1951
Period: Meiji period, 1868–1912
Date: late 19th–early 20th century
Material: Deer skull and silver
made in: Kyoto, Kyoto urban prefecture, Japan, Asia
Classification: Tools & equipment
Collection: Asian Art
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: incense stand: 1 1/16 × 4 1/2 in. (2.7 × 11.4 cm)
incense stick holder: 5/8 in. × 3/4 in. (1.6 × 1.9 cm)
wooden storage box: 1 5/8 × 4 3/8 × 5 in. (4.1 × 11.1 × 12.7 cm)
Credit Line: Museum Shop Fund
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 97:1992a,b

NOTES

The artist Imai Ōshin carved a piece of deer skull into a small tray for burning incense. The form of the object is that of a decaying lotus leaf. At its center is a silver incense-stick holder mimicking a five-lobed prunus blossom. Working with the textures and coloration of the skull, Ōshin embellished its surface with lines, holes, and irregularities to simulate the broad and curled features of the natural leaf.

Mortality is the pervasive and disquieting theme in this work, made more forceful by the prunus flower, a symbol of ephemerality. The sensitive crafting of once-living tissue into an image of degeneration is a profound accomplishment. This elegant twist increases the expressive force of this object far beyond its modest size.

Provenance

Dr. Melvin H. Jahss (1921–2009), New York, NY, USA [1]

- 1992
Sydney L. Moss Ltd. [Paul Guy Moss (born 1951)], London, England [2]

1992 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Sydney L. Moss, Ltd. [3]

Notes:
[1] Provenance indicated on invoice from Sydney L. Moss Ltd. dated May 22, 1992 [SLAM document files].

[2] See note [1].

[3] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, May 19, 1992.

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