AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A DRAGON
AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A DRAGON
AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A DRAGON
AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A DRAGON
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AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A DRAGON

EDO-MEIJI PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), SIGNED MYOCHIN MUNEHARU

Details
AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A DRAGON
EDO-MEIJI PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), SIGNED MYOCHIN MUNEHARU
The iron dragon finely constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body, the hinged jaw opening to reveal a tongue, limbs move, the body bends, the head is applied with elaborate horns, spines and whiskers, the details are finely carved and chiseled, the eyes embellished with gilt; signature on underside of jaw
20 ½ in. (52.1 cm.) long

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Takaaki Murakami (村上高明)
Takaaki Murakami (村上高明) Vice President, Specialist and Head of Department | Japanese and Korean Art

Lot Essay

It is not clear why articulated animals and insects were first made in the workshops of armor makers in the early eighteenth century. The dragon model in the Tokyo National Museum made by Myochin Muneaki in 1713 is the earliest dated example. Typically, the artists of articulated figures made in this period were members of the Myochin school, prominent armor makers particularly skilled at forging and tempering steel. By the middle of the Edo period, Japan was at peace after centuries of civil war. The demand for arms significantly decreased, influencing many Myochin-school metalsmiths to turn to ornamental sword guards and arms, tea utensils and decorative objects in iron. Some of the articulated works may have evolved from ornaments intended for helmets and other accoutrements.
The head of this dragon shows fine details worked in uchidashi (translate literally as “hammered”), known as special technique for creating three-dimensional, sculptural works from a thin iron sheet by hammering. The Myochin family of armorers was particularly skilled at this technique.

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