The Roar of the Sea

1998

Japanese, born 1932

The Roar of the Sea was executed through a labor-intensive process. After carving grooves on the surface of the acrylic box, Masaya coated it with multiple layers of acrylic paint and lacquer and then painstakingly laid irregular pieces of mother-of-pearl on the surface as if fitting a tiny puzzle. The thread-thin spaces left between the inlaid shells were filled with more lacquer. After each stage of carving the acrylic, applying the lacquer, and arranging the mother-of-shell inlays, the surface was polished numerous times with the utmost care to achieve perfect smoothness.

Acrylic, lacquer, mother-of-pearl

12 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. (30.5 x 40.0 x 40.0 cm)

Gift of Suzuki Masaya and Kagedo Japanese Art

2001.26

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water, Mar. 18 - May 30, 2022.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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