Water Dropper
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Water DropperDesign of eggplant with Japanese gold beetle design, Edo period, 18th-19th century (Gift of Mr. Watanabe Toyotaro and Mr. Watanabe Masayuki)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 13
January 2, 2016 (Sat) - April 17, 2016 (Sun)This exhibition consists of water droppers (suiteki), which are implements used when preparing ink for calligraphy or painting. They have elaborate shapes and designs, and are usually ceramic, although metals such as copper and brass were also commonly used to make them. The 442 metal water droppers that Watanabe Toyotaro (Sen'en) donated to the museum in 2013 comprise one of the largest and most important collections of this genre. For this exhibition, we have selected 117 animal-shaped works from this collection.
The variety of the animals depicted and the unrestricted artistic expression of wax casting, the metalwork technique used to create these works, are attractive features of this exhibition.
Current exhibit includes:
Water Dropper, Horse design, Edo period, 18th-19th century (Gift of Mr. Watanabe Toyotaro and Mr. Watanabe Masayuki)
Water Dropper, Long-eared hare design, Edo period, 18th-19th century (Gift of Mr. Watanabe Toyotaro and Mr. Watanabe Masayuki)
Water Dropper, Mouse design, Meiji era, 19th-20th century (Gift of Mr. Watanabe Toyotaro and Mr. Watanabe Masayuki)
Water Dropper, Blue magpie design, Edo period, 18th-19th century (Gift of Mr. Watanabe Toyotaro and Mr. Watanabe Masayuki)
Water Dropper, Snail design, Edo period, 18th-19th century (Gift of Mr. Watanabe Toyotaro and Mr. Watanabe Masayuki)