Kumagai Kyoto Mixed-Metal Brass Box with Shakudo Sage Onlay, Meiji-Taisho

拍品描述

East Asia, Japan, Kyoto, Meiji to Taisho period, ca. 1890–1926 CE. A round brass box with a gently domed lid. The lid is worked as a small landscape in mixed-metal onlay. A robed sage strides over rocky ground, one arm raised with a small object (perhaps a scroll case) and the other hand holding a bowl. His robe is black shakudo, picked out with gilt lozenge-lattice and scattered leaf patterns. Above him, a branching vine carries heart-shaped leaves in gilt copper alloy, nickel silver, and copper-gold alloy, each one autumn-tinted in its own metallic tone. An unrolled scroll lies on a ledge, and engraved grasses, bamboo, and a cascading rock face fill out the setting. The rim is gilt. The sage's bowl suggests a Buddhist rakan or a Daoist immortal, but the exact figure is uncertain. The box is inscribed Kyoto Kumagai zo, "Made by Kumagai, Kyoto." Size: 2" H x 5.25" Diam (5.1 cm H x 13.3 cm Diam). In the decades after 1876, an edict ended the samurai right to wear swords, which put fittings makers out of work. Many of these craftsmen in Kyoto and Tokyo turned to decorative metalwork for the domestic and export markets. Kyoto became especially known for inlay and onlay work in contrasting alloys. Shakudo, a copper alloy with a small amount of gold, was patinated to a deep blue-black. Silvery alloys and gilt metals were set beside it to give a painterly range of color on a single surface. Workshops such as the one marked Kumagai signed their pieces with the city name and the character zo ("made by"), a formula common on Meiji mixed-metal wares. SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700. PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item #205553

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