Japanese
Pedestal in the Form of a Lotus, late 19th century
Lacquered and gilded wood, 12.1 x 24.8 x 21.3 cm (4 3/4 x 9 3/4 x 8 3/8 in.)
This small, carved, wooden sculpture forms gilded lotus flowers with their stems and leaves. Functionally, it serves as a pedestal with two flat tiers. The upper tier consists of a single, cup shaped, lotus blossom with three rows of gilded petals surrounding a round, flattened, pierced surface painted in dark lacquer. The lower tier meets and supports the upper gold blossom, and it flows into an irregularly shaped, flat pool. That dark lacquered pool leads into a gilded flower head with a long tri-part stem from which other lotus blossoms emerge. This gold stem runs horizontally under the flat lower pool and merges with a perpendicular stem that leads to the upper tiered blossom.
Vatichino
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.