Hornet's Nest

About the Artwork

This is an incense burner made using forging techniques to resemble a hornet's nest with decorations of hornets made of gold-copper alloy and copper-zinc alloy.
I cast the same shape of the body with pure silver, finished it with a mirror surface, and fitted it on the inside. I also made an incense plate with pure silver in a gyroscope structure. (Actually, placing a gyroscope in an incense burner is a traditional style.)
The diverse properties of metal are utilized when creating metalwork, but utilizing rust (oxide film) effectively is one of the characteristics of Japanese traditional metalwork.
Our predecessors studied ways of beautifully rusting metal, and the colors and textures they could create with rust. By doing so, many alloys unique to Japan were created.
I colored this piece using no paint but only rust, and also aimed to utilize the various properties of metal. For example, I utilized the property of metal to expand and contract in the main body, the property to withstand detailed processing in the hornets, the property of rusting, and the property of having a glossy interior etc.
By using rust, unlike paint, the color develops over time.

Description

• Category
  Metalwork
• Materials
  Silver / Iron / Gold-copper alloy
• Dimensions
  H 9.2 / ø 7.6 cm
• Year presented
  2020
• Rarity
  Unique