Antique Japanese Altar Stand
Antique Japanese Buddhist Carved Floral and Lacquered Altar Stand | Kyozukue
Age:Meiji Period (1868-1912)
Descriptive qualities& condition:
Dimensions: 5-1/2”h; 19-0”l x 5-1/2”d
Offered is an antique Buddhist temple Butssudan Altar stand, (Kyozukue) purchased in Kanazawa Japan in 1998. The piece is covered on the front and partial sides in a warm gold leaf and black Urushi lacquer with ornate hand carving with high relief petalled chrysanthemum flowers. The back of the piece is all in black lacquer and unadorned and meant to be viewed from the front. The underside is lacquered in an orangish ochre. The Kyozukue has an extra piece finished in gold, red, and black lacquered and is meant to be a removable tray with raised flanged ends that are scaled and positioned to sit perfectly on the top of the stand. The stand is fixed on an ornamented plinth dais to protect its beautifully fashioned curved legs and apron. The images are self-explanatory and the last image is an example of how the various reiterations of this type of display table were used.
Condition: Excellent, retains the original craft/workmanship. No discoloration, chipping/cracking, and slight surface wear with no structural damage. There is some wear exposing the black lacquer beneath and some imperfections on the top of the tray affording the table a lovely used warmth.
NOTE: 24k gold leaf has often been used throughout Asian countries to symbolize wealth and high social status. Its sturdiness, relative scarcity, and, of course, brilliance, have been a sign of opulence across many different styles of decoration and particularly in religious artifacts and architecture. The artisanal technique of creating gold leaf products is defined by strict production conditions and for which the process is divided into three stages that apply years of expert skill.
Zumi: Making an alloy and processing the gold — First, pure gold is mixed together with a tiny amount of silver and copper, melted and stretched between metal rollers, cut into five-centimeter squares, then sandwiched between layers of paper and pounded by machine to a thickness and is carried out by a specialized artisan called a zumiya.
Hakuuchi: Hammering the gold — The gold leaf is then layered alternately with hakuuchi paper, which is a special handmade Japanese washi paper (traditional paper made from bark or natural fibers), and hammered in a hand-operated machine to stretch it even more. The gold leaf is then transferred to new layers of hakuuchi paper.
The gold leaf is so thin and delicate that it can be torn with a single touch. The gold leaf is handled with bamboo chopsticks to prevent the buildup of static electricity. Expert skill is required to join the edges of each gold leaf sheet as it is applied to sophisticated shapes.
