Kawade Shibatarō (, 1856–1921) was a Japanese artist working in (''
cloisonné''
enamel).
[ is a portmanteau of ("seven") and ("treasures") ] As head of the
Ando Cloisonné Company, he introduced a number of technical innovations, expanding the colours that could be rendered in enamel and bringing the company to a new level of success.
Under his leadership, the company exhibited at
world's fairs, winning multiple awards.
It was also appointed as an official supplier of ''cloisonné'' works for the
Japanese imperial family.
Biography
Kawade came to prominence during the "Golden Age" of Japanese ''cloisonné'' in the late
Meiji era
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
.
This was a time of experimentation and technical innovation, when Japanese artists produced works more advanced than had been achieved before, which could not be replicated with modern techniques. During the 1880s he ran his own workshop and also worked for the
Ando Cloisonné Company in
Nagoya.
In 1902 he became the head of the company,
succeeding Kaji Satarō.
Along with
Hattori Tadasaburō, Kawade developed the ( "piling up") technique which places layers of enamel upon each other to create a three-dimensional effect,
often used in depicting flowers or blossoms.
Another technique he invented was (drip-glaze), which produces a rainbow-coloured glaze.
In 1902, he was the first Japanese artist to use the () technique, in which the metal foundation is hammered outwards to create a
relief effect.
He also used the new technique ( in Japanese) which creates panels of transparent or semi-transparent enamel.
Enamel , linked by wires, are prepared on a copper surface which is then burned away with acid while the enamel itself is protected by
lacquer
Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity.
Asian lacquerware, which may be ca ...
.
This was invented in France and came to Japan when
Ando Jubei, one of the founders of the Ando Cloisonné Company, bought an enamel by
André Fernand Thesmar at the
Paris Exposition of 1900. Kawade analysed this piece to replicate and then further develop the technique.
Recognition
In 1911 the art historian Jiro Harada wrote that Kawade was
deservedly considered the greatest enamel expert in the manufacture of at the present time. ..He has been engaged in the industry for the last forty years, and the advantage of his scientific knowledge and his indefatigable devotion to the work have enabled him to invent new colours in enamels.
Kawade exhibited works at the
World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, at Japan's fifth National Industrial Exposition in 1903, at the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...
of 1904, at the
Universal and International Exposition in Liège in 1905, and at the
Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 in London. He won a gold medal at the
Panama–Pacific International Exposition of 1915 in San Francisco.
The Ando Cloisonné Company was chosen as a supplier of art for the Imperial family and as such was commissioned to make works, bearing the
Imperial chrysanthemum seal, that the family could present as gifts. One such work, executed by Kawade in 1906, was a pair of vases presented by
the Emperor
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
to the American cartoonist
Henry Mayer, thanking him for cartoons on the
Russo-Japanese War published in ''
The New York Times''.
He is considered one of the four great masters of Japanese ''cloisonné'', along with
Namikawa Yasuyuki,
Namikawa Sosuke and
Hayashi Kodenji
Hayashi ( 林, literally " woods"), is the 19th most common Japanese surname. It shares the same character as the Chinese surname Lin.
Notable people with the surname include:
*, Japanese synchronized swimmer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese s ...
.
Outside of Japan his works are in collections including the
Metropolitan Museum of Art,
the
George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
The Quadrangle is the common name for a cluster of museums and cultural institutions in Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, on Chestnut Street between State and Edwards Streets.
The Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, in the cente ...
, the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
and the
Khalili Collection of Japanese Art of the Meiji Era.
Gallery
File:Khalili Collection Japanese Meiji Art E28.jpg, Vase using ''moriage shippō'' () technique to raise the plum blossom and branches (c. 1905)Mount Fuji
, or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...
(c. 1910)
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
川出柴太郎，安藤七宝，東京，銀座 , 銀座 真生堂*
ttps://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/gahou/213312.html 川出柴太郎 銅七宝紫蘭盛上花瓶 :: 東文研アーカイブデータベース
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shibataro, Kawade
1856 births
1921 deaths
Japanese enamellers