Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 9. (Budapest, 1966)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Horváth, Tibor: Two Japanese Lacquer Boxes of the Early 18th Century

I. REGARDING THE QUESTION OF KORIN-STYLE PIECES In the history of Japanese art lacquers there is hardly any artist comparable with Honami Köetsu (1557—1637), as far the break with traditions, as well as the unexpected and yet most successful initiative is concerned. The bold novelty of his masterpiece, the Suzuribako (inkstone-box)

3 with Pontoon Bridge, in the National Museum of Tokyo, may be outlined as follows : a) the strongly bulging cover is more massive than fine or elegant, its vigorous form reminds us of the improvised straw roof of a hut (Cf. the roof forms on Sötatsu's famous Screen Decorated with Folding Fans, in Sambö-in.) In earlier and later times the general form of the box cover was, of course, the plane surface; so, in this case, the solution meant undoubtedly the creation of a vital plastic form which justified the introduction of new motifs and a new appliqué technique. 3 The piece being well known, we have dispensed with the reproduction. Fig. 1. Cover of a box for letter-paper