Wall Decoration in the Form of a Fan, signed “Ikeda Taishin”

Ikeda Taishin was a student and friend of Shibata Zeshin (1807–1891), the great reformer of Japanese lacquer art in a movement that attempted to combine new forms with traditional artistic techniques. This was seen as a way of establishing an autonomous artistic language to combat the “westernization” of the arts. Ikeda Taishin was successfully represented with several objects at the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair and as a result was regularly commissioned to take part in official presentations. As a member of the Imperial Academy and the imperial household, he was honored with the highest distinctions available to an artist.