Kazari Ogi Asagao ni Kingyo is...

• This is a decorative fan depicting goldfish and morning glories in gold-leaf Maki-e.

This decorative fan depicts goldfish gliding across the water among morning glories swaying in the breeze, motifs that have colored Japan's summer festivals since the Edo period, rendered on an auspicious gold-leaf fan. Goldfish are considered lucky symbols of wealth, and morning glories, once prized as a costly medicinal plant, were treasured as flowers that "invite fortune into the home." Inspired by the Morning Glories Folding Screen of the Edo Rinpa painter Kiitsu Suzuki, eight goldfish are painted across the fan, their tails dusted with gold and silver powder so that the red shifts toward gold and the black toward silver as the light changes.
Its compact size suits a shoe cabinet at home or an entrance table at the office, making it a fine choice for an entryway display.