Untitled - Heather James Fine Art

UsabataJapan, Meiji Period (1868-1912)Bronze19 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 12 1/4 in.4301It was during the late Meiji period that exquisite examples of bronzes, such as this one, were first seen by the West during the internationalexpositions. It was only the Japanese that understood the value of color in metal. In many examples we see gold, silver, copper, zinc,black-metal, and tea-urn bronze. The Emperor Meiji, who replaced the last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu as Head of State, was a man ofvision and culture. He encouraged the adoption of Western customs, fashion, education and industry, and above all the continuation ofthe traditional arts and crafts of Japan in a form adapted to world-wide taste and expectation. In 1890 he instituted a system of honorificappointments to the Imperial Household called the Teishitsu Geigei-In or “Imperial Artists”. These elite artists were commissioned to makepieces for presentation to both Japanese and foreign dignitaries and had the right to mark them with the chrysanthemum Mon, or badge,of the Imperial Family.