Japanese Meiji Period Cast Bronze Okimono of a Rat on a Sheaf of Rice Signed & Seal Mark to Base

For the lover of fine Japanese decorative arts...

A delightful Signed Japanese Meiji Period Cast Bronze Okimono of a Rat on a Sheaf of Rice.

 A lifelike rendering of a Rat or Mouse sat stop a Sheaf of wheat or rice. Rendered in solid, patinated bronze.

Unlike in the West where Rats & Mice are seen primarily as vermin, in the East, Rats & Mice are seen as industrious creatures, intelligent & hardworking. One of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals is a Rat giving it the same status as creatures such as the Dragon, Monkey, Rooster & Goat.

This little fellow is a real character, charming and sweet, certainly not the type that would have you jumping up on a chair!

 Prior to the mid-19th Century and the Meiji Restoration, Japan had been largely closed to the outside world for centuries, literally, no foreigners were allowed in with the exception of the Dutch "Concession Port" of Imari (where the porcelain gains its name) and even then, their presence was highly restricted. This isolation lead to the refinement & distillation of Japanese culture, art and society time and time again. The lack of outside influences meant that their art, though magnificent in its own right, did not benefit from the influence of the Classical Sculptors of Antiquity or the Renaissance etc in a similar way to the West.

During the Meiji Restoration in 1868 Japan underwent the most significant and rapid absorption of Western Culture, Arts, Thought, Philosophy, Manufacturing Techniques and so on that any culture has ever gone through before or since. Part of the Meiji Restoration was the abolition of the former ruling Samurai Class & the banning of wearing of Swords. This left a huge section of the workforce that were once occupied making the world's finest swords, armour & associated accoutrements for the Elite Samurai seemingly without work. Genius will always find a way however. These same metalworkers turned their hands to sculpting in classical realism (new to Japan) only with a distinct Japanese twist creating a whole new class of objects hitherto unknown ito Japan' highly regimented society; Okimono. The Japanese had never had objects with no other purpose than to be decorative before Okimono. Their skills in metalwork transferred from weapons of war to things of beauty better than one could have hoped and before long they were creating objects combining traditional Japanese techniques, culture and themes with the newly introduced Classical Artistic Theory. Combining these two seemingly juxtaposed influences, the Japanese Metalworkers attained a level of beauty, craftsmanship & technical excellence unseen anywhere in the world before & many would argue since.

This outstanding, though petite Okimono bears the seal mark of the retailer known as Kakuah, he was from an old family of swordsmiths from the Edo Period who went into exporting this new class of goods to the West after the restoration. Unfortunately, the artists signature mark is yet to be deciphered.

• 6cm long x 4cm tall x 4cm deep
• Patinated Bronze
• Meiji Period
• Signed to base along with Exporters Seal Mark