Upper Body Ornament

Currently not on view

Upper Body Ornament

1997

Matsushima Sakurako (Japanese, born 1965)

Sakurako Matsushima employs traditional Japanese lacquer techniques in her contemporary jewelry and ornaments. Upper Body Ornament is from her large-scale Body Ornament series from the mid-1990s. Concerned with human adornment and its associations with the spiritual realm, the artist creates neckpieces that are meant to connect to our inner spiritual dimension. Matsushima used a traditional dry lacquer technique called kanshitsu to make this double-tiered, angular oversized neckpiece comprising two segments, each having a zigzag design. The outer segment bends outward and folds under itself on both sides at the collar. Upper Body Ornament’s folds and stacks create the illusion of three-dimensionality.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Upper Body Ornament

Date:

1997

Artist:

Matsushima Sakurako (Japanese, born 1965)

Medium:

Natural lacquer (urushi), hemp cloth, paper, Mexican abalone shell, gold leaf, gold powder, metal powder

Dimensions:

25 3/16 x 18 7/8 inches (64 x 47.9 cm)

Classification:

Jewelry

Credit Line:

Purchased with the Edgar Viguers Seeler Fund, 2001

Accession Number:

2001-172-1

Geography:

Made in Japan, Asia

Context:

Period: Heisei Period (1989-2019)

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Currently not on view