Pair of Vases with Phoenix Design and En-suite Stands

ca. 1877–82

Not on view

Chōkichi, one of the greatest bronze craftsman-sculptors of nineteenth-century Japan, produced elaborate vessels and decorative sculptures for the Western market, many of which were exhibited at international expositions in Europe and the United States. This pair of vases, created for the First Japanese Manufacturing and Trading Company (Kiryū Kōshō Kaisha), where he was employed for several years, is an example of the type of Western-influenced, hybrid metalwork fashionable from the mid-1870s to the late 1880s. Each of the two baluster-shaped, monumental cast-bronze vases has curved elephant-head handles; they rest on stepped bases that comprise five zoomorphic openwork elements based on ancient Chinese bronze motifs. The precisely inlaid gold, silver, and copper decoration, arranged in several registers, includes stylized clouds, pendant jewels, fleur-de-lis lappets, gold phoenixes, and scrolling flowers and vines.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

鈴木長吉造　鳳凰象嵌耳付彫金青銅大花瓶　一対
Title: Pair of Vases with Phoenix Design and En-suite Stands
Artist: Suzuki Chōkichi (Japanese, 1848–1919)
Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
Date: ca. 1877–82
Culture: Japan
Medium: Patinated bronze with gold, silver and copper inlays
Dimensions: H. (each, incl. stand) 37 in. (94 cm); W. incl. handles 15 in. (38.1 cm); Diam. 10 in. (25.4 cm)
H. (each, without stand) 31 1/8 in. (79 cm)
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Purchase, Diane and Arthur Abbey Gift, 2019
Object Number: 2019.226.1a, b, .2a, b
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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