Page 24 - Bonhams September 12 2018 New York Japanese Works of Art

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MORIKAGE 盛景
A Bronze Vase with Elephant-Head
Handles
鉄枴先生落雁図象頭耳付彫金ブロンズ花瓶
Meiji era (1868–1912), late 19th century
Of elongated baluster form finished with
recessed panels at front and back, elephant-
head handles applied to either side and an
applied ring at the neck, the pale-brown
patinated bronze body decorated in inlay
and chiseled relief of gold, silver, shakudō,
shibuichi, and copper with a variety of
floral and formal ornament, the principal
decoration within the two recessed panels
comprising on one side Tekkai Sensei with
his double disappearing into the distance and
on the other side a goose partially concealing
the crescent moon and descending toward a
branch of bamboo, signed on the base with
chiseled characters Morikage 盛景 followed
by a gold-inlaid seal-style mark Morikage 盛
景
Height 16 3/8 in. (41.5 cm)

$30,000 - 40,000
In another outstanding instance of the Meiji
genius for syncretic decoration, here the
metal artist Morikage combines Chinese
ceramic form and archaic motifs with two
panels framing favorite scenes from the
Japanese early-modern pictorial repertoire.
One side of the vase shows Tekkai Sensei
(literally, “Master Iron Cane”), one of the
select group of Hassen (Eight Immortals),
semi-mythical perfected beings of Chinese
origin who had been known in Japan, from
Chinese paintings, since as early as the
thirteenth century. Tekkai was a well-built
man who achieved enlightenment at an early
age and decided one day that his spirit or
“double” should go meet his master at Mount
Huashan. During the double’s absence a
negligent servant mistakenly destroyed
Tekkai’s body so that on his return Tekkai had
to take up residence in the emaciated frame
of an elderly man; here, however, we see
Tekkai before this unfortunate transformation,
confidently bidding his double farewell. The
panel on the reverse of the vase shows the
theme of rakugan, “descending goose,”
another time-honored theme with its origins
in Chinese ink painting.

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