SEIZŌ SUGAWARA
The elongated face is coated in a rich, deep chocolate-brown lacquer and is defined by an ethereal expression, half-closed eyes, and finely shaped lips, lending the work a sense of softness and a nearly meditative presence.
The wood, previously worked with a gouge, has not been fully smoothed, allowing a slight relief to remain visible beneath the lacquer. This texture, perceptible through the surface, enriches the material and enhances the way light animates the piece.
The base, conceived as an integral part of the sculpture, is finished in a matte light-brown lacquer that contrasts with the glossy surface above.
H 57.2 - W 17.5 - L 13.7 cm.
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Seizo Sugawara was one of the closest collaborators and lacquer masters working with Eileen Gray. At the same time, he maintained an independent practice, presenting himself as a “lacquerer in genuine Japanese lacquer,” producing screens, modern furniture, and undertaking the restoration of works of art.
Although sculpture does not appear among his official professional activities, it belongs to a more personal and intimate aspect of his work. From 1925 onwards, with more time available in the workshop, Sugawara developed this practice and participated that same year in the Exhibition of Japanese Artists organized by the Cercle Japonais in Paris, whose aim was to introduce French audiences to the evolution of Japanese art through works adapted to a European sensibility.
The Head of a Woman presented here belongs to this context. Exhibited circa 1928, it extends the research initiated in his early lacquered wood sculptures. The face is distinguished by a refined stylization: the asymmetrical hairstyle creates a subtle sense of movement, while the lacquer, of remarkable depth, captures and reflects light with great delicacy.
This work reveals a true exploration of the mask, both in its formal and symbolic dimensions. It exemplifies Sugawara’s ability to merge traditional Japanese craftsmanship with the aesthetic concerns of Western modernism.
Reference: Alexandra Jaffré, Seizo Sugawara. Maître laqueur d’Eileen Gray, Brussels, Éditions Mérode, 2019.
Literature
Bonney, Therese. 1925. Therese Bonney photographs, 1925-1937: a view of the present sculpture on a railed bar designed by T. R. Knowles in an exhibition, circa 1928François Baudot, 'Eileen Gray: Mémoire du Style,' Paris, 1998, illustrated pp. 45, 78
Alexandra Jaffré, 'Seizô Sougawara : Maître laqueur d'Eileen Gray', Brussels, 2018, illustrated p. 151
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