A lacquer screen by Ban’ura Shogo

This piece consists of two wood framed panels, each decorated with a design in coloured lacquer over an off-white lacquer background. The left panel has a striking depiction of a kabocha (pumpkin), while the right panel has a bold kabu (turnip) design. The panels are signed with a red two-character seal reading “Shogo” 省吾. The reverse side of each panel is finished in brown lacquer and is decorated with three nasubi (aubergines) rendered in off-white lacquer. An inscription of the back reads: Koki nisenryoppyakuyonen Daitoasenka Shogo kinsaku 皇紀二千六百四年大東亜戦下　省吾謹作 (Respectfully made by Shogo in 1944 during the Great East Asian War). 

About the Artist: Ban’ura Shogo is one of the most prominent figures in twentieth-century Japanese lacquer art. Renowned for his modernist treatment of naturalist themes, his work earned recognition at the Bunten Kansaten in 1936 and the Paris International Exhibition in 1937, the same year he was appointed Director of the Kyoto Crafts Institute. He later became the Director of the Nitten exhibition and founded the Kyoto Lacquer Ware Artists' Association. Two of his pieces are held in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art.