Rare Japanese Woven Bamboo Basket Tanabe Chikuhosai Original Box

A rare woven bamboo basket by Tanabe Chikuhosai (1868-1945), the eldest brother of one of the most celebrated Japanese bamboo artist Tanabe Chikuunsai I (1876-1931), who developed a long lineage of the celebrated bamboo artists.
This beautifully woven hanakago ikebana basket has a classic Chinese vase form. It features a robust body with the double handles extended into a beautiful oval arch. Vigorously constructed with tight pine needle plaiting, the body was partitioned by tri-branched extensions from the handle. The middle branch extended further down along the body into a distinctive triangular shape. The same design was used for reinforcement front and back. The functional element blended seamlessly with the decorative motifs. the basket is a rare example of the work by the artist.
It was signed on the base Chikuhosai Made this (竹保齋造之) and it comes with the original signed Japanese wood box. Under the lid, it was inscribed by the artist with a note "Made in the spirit of and in homage to Shokosai".
For another bamboo basket by the artist, see Object number2006.3.99 in the collection of Asian Art Musuem in San Francisco.
Provenance: Rosemary Bandini Ltd UK (with an old small paper label in the box).