Bird with Flowering Branch Large Plate by Ruri Takeuchi

Ruri Takeuchi's imagination runs wild with the ancient history of counties from another world.

The Chinese lute or five-stringed biwa (Japanese lute) made of mother of pearl and rosewood, found in Nara's ‪Shōsōin, are treasures that she deems most valuable. On the back of either lute, there is an exquisite design of a bird holding a flowering branch.‬

The motif of a bird holding a flowering branch, which is as old as the Sasanian Empire in Persia, symbolizes good fortune and luck. The design illustrates an auspicious bird, such as the Chinese Phoenix or crane, holding a branch with flower blossoms.

Ruri Takeuchi's Bird with Flowering Branch large plate aspires to this famed pattern and is one of her greatest works.

On the outer edge is an arabesque pattern painted with gold leaf; looking closely, chrysanthemums are placed evenly between the arabesque tendrils. Adjacent is an even more detailed shippou, interlocking rings pattern, in gold leaf. This is used to frame the full and saturated painting of a climbing rose in full bloom and three green parrots.

 
Each vibrant leaf is delicately drawn, coated in layers of paint with a hint of brown at the tip of the leaf. The rose petals are a beautiful and elegant pale pink; the stamen and pistil are painted yellow. Its entirety was carefully outlined with a thin brush, then filled with colors. The paint never deviates from the outline and there are no outlined spaces left blank to be found. The layers of paint create a raised texture that uses deep and light colors for shading. The reverse side is painted with the gold pattern and a climbing rose. Five rings of the gold painted motif reach toward the inner foot of the dish and written in the middle are the characters "瑠璃" (Ruri).

The feathers of the green parrots with round bead eyes were painted with multiple layers of fine thin strokes and fired in the kiln after each layer; it was fired four times. A near realistic depiction and texture of bird feathers, one-by-one, among the layers of paint and infinite number of strokes, the luster disappears to reveal a sparkling brightness and movement.

At a simple glance, one would ask exactly what color is being used for this parrot? From the base of its beak to its cheeks is a faint blue-green color, then a deep blue-green, lime green and brown is used to show the overlapping feathers. No outlines are drawn and filled in for the feathers, emphasizing the contrast when surrounding the climbing rose.
What makes this Bird with Flowering Branch pattern Ruri's own is that the birds are not holding the branch. It is as if it were a riddle for those who see and understand the pattern and her design.

While looking at this piece, my thoughts are also swept into the ancient times of a country from another world.

 

 

竹内瑠璃 花喰い鳥大皿

竹内瑠璃は、いにしえの遠い異国へ思いを馳せる。

奈良、正倉院の螺鈿紫檀阮咸(らでんしたんのげんかん)や螺鈿紫檀五弦琵琶（らでんしたんごげんびわ）は、瑠璃の憧れの宝物だ。
どちらも背面に花喰い鳥の意匠が美しい。
花喰い鳥のモチーフは、古くササン朝ペルシャ伝来で、吉祥文様の代表的な図柄。
鳳凰や鶴などの瑞鳥（ずいちょう）が花の付いた枝などをくわえた姿の文様である。

竹内瑠璃の花喰い鳥の大皿は、そんな憧れを形にした大作だ。
外側に唐草の金彩、よく見ると菊を等間隔に挟んである。
その一つ内側には、より細かな七宝文様の金彩。
その枠からはみ出す形で皿面一杯に描かれた満開の蔓薔薇の枝に緑のインコが３羽とまっている。

瑞々しい葉の一つ一つは丁寧に絵の具が乗せられて、葉先には、ほんのりと茶色を副えてある。蔓薔薇の花びらは淡いピンクで、艶やか。
おしべ、めしべは黄色で描かれている。
どれも線描き絵の具で丁寧に描かれた中に色絵の具を入れてある。
決して、はみ出す事無く、また塗り残しなど見つけられない。
濃く薄く絵の具で盛り上げられた濃淡が立体的だ。
裏面にも金彩と蔓薔薇がある。
５重に描かれた金彩は高台の内側にも及んでいて、その真ん中に『瑠璃』の文字が書かれている。

丸いつぶらな瞳を持った緑のインコの羽は、細い線を何度も塗り重ねて、実際４度も焼成を重ねて描かれている。
まるで本物の鳥の羽のような質感、羽1枚1枚に描かれた無数の線の重なりによって、艶の消された中に、きらきらと光る躍動感が表現されている。
一見、単色のこのインコに一体何色の絵の具が使われているのだろうか。
くちばしの付け根から頬にかけては、うっすら青い色、羽の重なりを表現するために濃い緑、黄緑、茶色も見える。
羽には線描き絵の具の枠取りは無く、縁取られた蔓薔薇とのコントラストを際立たせている。

花喰い鳥なのに花をくわえていないのは、彼女らしい所だろう。見る人が見れば分かるという謎かけにも似たデザインだ。

この作品を見ながら、私もいにしえの遠い異国へ思いを馳せる。