MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY), SIGNED MASAYOSHI CHU (CAST BY [SUZUKI] MASAYOSHI)

In the Meiji period (1867-1912), Japan entered into industrial competition with the Western nations and applied traditional technology to works of art for export. Pieces such as this incense burner were made for exhibition in Europe and America, where they won great acclaim. Bronze-casters from all over Japan, and especially Tokyo (the new capital) and the provincial centers of Kanazawa and Takaoka, responded magnificently to the challenge, adapting the existing traditions of bronze manufacture for temple fittings and flower containers to produce an impressive range of outsize exhibition pieces that combine exaggerated features borrowed from early Chinese work with a wealth of exotic decoration.

A similar work by the artist sold Christie's, London, 13 November, 2002, lot 119