by his teacher Maruyama Okyo, in lacquer. A red, black and gold lacquer picnic set by Zeshin serves as another good example of this revolutionary traditionalism. The picnic set is made in very traditional style, almost entirely of red and black lacquer with gold decorations of leaves and branches. However, on the serving tray is a series of butterflies and dragonflies, inlaid into the surface of the serving tray and carved out of iridescent seashell. Zeshin's signature was always quite subdued, and on occasion he would be playful with the idea of the signature. There is a decorative tsuba (sword handguard) made by him on which an ant, displayed in relief in lacquer, is carrying away the "shin" character (真) of Zeshin's signature to the other side of the piece. It has been said that much of Zeshin's work strongly represents the aesthetic concept of iki (粋), which might be translated as "chic." The Edo concept of iki, known as sui in Kansai, was described most authoritatively by Kuki Shūzō, but like the English ideas of chic, cool, and stylish, the precise colors, patterns, and other stylistic elements that constitute iki are nearly impossible to pin down. Nevertheless, that said, Zeshin's works are often labeled as iki, and considered to have just the right balance of tradition with the new, being beautiful but not gaudy and simple but not boring and smart but not arrogant. His style has been compared by some to haiku, in that its beauty and meaning is more powerful in what is not shown than by what is. Along with Nakayama Komin and Shirayama Shosai, he is considered one of the three great late lacquerers of Japan. Exhibitions Exhibitions of Zeshin's works have taken place in various institutions internationally. Japanese Lacquer, 1600-1900 : selections from the Charles A. Greenfield collection, 4 September to 19 October, 1980, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Shibata Zeshin: Masterpieces of Japanese Lacquer from the Khalili Collection Apr – Oct 1997, National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK Oct – Nov 1999, Toyama Sato Art Museum, Toyama, Japan Nov 2000 – Mar 2001, Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum, Hildesheim, Germany The Genius of Japanese Lacquer: Masterworks by Shibata Zeshin Japan Society, New York (21 March - 15 June, 2008) Gallery See also Hashimoto Gahō Takeuchi Seihō References Shibata Zeshin, article at Artelino Art Auctions, accessed 3 March 2006. http://www.thecityreview.com/griggs.html Further reading External links