Forged Silver Flower Vessel “Strait”

About the Artwork

Osumi is a metalware artist who specializes in “tankin” or hammered vessels. She applies the traditional technique of “nunome-zogan” or textile imprint inlay.
This involves hammering metal leaf or wire into a fine, mesh-like grid incised into the surface of metal. She creates decorative and functional objects, such as vases and tea utensils. She likes to convey a sense of nature which is formless and flowing, and does so through her designs of wind, waves, clouds and streams.
This vase is hammered silver with nunome-zogan decoration in lead and gold.
The main theme is the huge eddying tides of Naruto Strait.

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Description

• Category
  Metalwork
• Materials
  Silver
• Dimensions
  H 24.5 x W 36.2 x D 30.3 cm
• Year of creation
  2013
• Rarity
  Unique

Techniques Used

Hammer forming

In hammer forming (tankin), a mallet is used to shape a sheet of metal by hammering it into recessions in a wooden stump or block. Next, the metal sheet is worked on the end of specially shaped iron bars known as forming stakes (ategane) to gradually create the final form. It takes tens of thousands of hammer strikes to produce a single finished work.

Metal inlay

In metal inlay (zōgan), designs are cut into the surface of a piece and inlaid with a different metal of contrasting color or texture.

Embossing

Embossing, or metal chasing (uchidashi), is the process of using punches to raise designs on metal by repeatedly hammering the face or back of a piece (the latter technique being known as “repoussage”). Embossed work can take the shape of highly pronounced three-dimensional forms or shallow reliefs like those seen on brooches and ornaments for kimono obi.

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Selected exhibitions

• The 60th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (2013)
• Selected