Antique Japanese Meiji Period Narcissus Okimono Botanical Sculpture c. 1800’s

Antique Japanese Meiji Period Narcissus Okimono Botanical Sculpture c. 1800’s Museum-quality Japanese okimono from the Meiji period (1868–1912), finely carved as a narcissus (suisen) botanical, a flower long celebrated in Japanese decorative arts for its symbolism of purity, renewal, and quiet elegance. This piece comes from a private family lineage and belonged to my grandmother, who acquired it prior to my mother’s birth in 1943. It has remained in continuous family ownership for generations. The composition features multiple narcissus blooms rising from slender, upright stems, interspersed with elongated, blade-like leaves. Several blossoms are shown fully open, with delicately carved white petals surrounding raised central cups in warm golden tones, while adjacent buds suggest different stages of growth—an artistic device often used in high-quality Meiji botanical carvings to convey natural rhythm and life. The leaves are gracefully arched and finely textured, arranged in a balanced, upward composition that emphasizes vertical movement and refinement. The

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