MEIJI PERIOD (CIRCA 1881-85)

Details

AN IMPRESSIVE BRONZE SCULPTURE OF RYUJIN
Meiji Period (Circa 1881-85)
Finely cast in three sections, the Dragon King of the Sea standing on a rock covered with shells and holding a tama [sacred jewel] resting on an uchiwa fan, the wood base carved with chrysanthemum blossom and scrolling karakusa in gold hiramaki-e
64¾in. (164.5cm.) high including the base

Exhibited

By repute from the Nuremberg Metalwork Exposition of 1885

Special notice

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Lot Essay

This large and striking figure of Ryujin is clearly related to two celebrated sculptural groups, one showing Susano-o and Haneakarutama no Mikoto and the other showing Takenouchi no Sukune and Ryujin, in the Khalili and John R. Young collections respectively; the latter, by Oshima Joun, was made for the second Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai [National Industrial Exposition] held in 1881. Two sets of drawings by Kawanabe Kyosai (1831-89) are closely related to this group of bronzes1.

1 Oliver Impey and Malcolm Fairley, The Dragon King of the Sea (Oxford, 1991), no. 11; Joe Earle, Splendors of Meiji: Treasures of Imperial Japan, Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection (St.
Petersburg, Florida, 1999), no. 172; Timothy Clark, Demon of Painting: The Art of Kawanabe Kyosai (British Museum, London, 1993), pp. 54-5

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