Page 13 - September 21 2021 Important Japanese Art Christie's NYC

PROPERTY FROM A PRINCELY COLLECTION
5 AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A CARP

EDO-MEIJI PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), SIGNED KIYOAKI WITH CURSIVE
MONOGRAM (KAO)
The iron carp constructed of numerous
hammered plates jointed inside the body, the
body bends, the fins move, the details of fins
and scales finely chiseled, the eyes of shakudo
embellished wiht gilt; signature and cursive
monogram (kao) inlaid in gold on underside
15¿ in. (38.4 cm.) long

$30,000-40,000

In Japan, the carp is a strong fish with a long lifespan that relates themselves into dragons. The proverb remains a wish for success
to spiritual power and the wish for human longevity. In the and high rank. In Japan, the story of the Dragon Gate relates
eight-century Chronicles of Japan (Nihon shoki), Emperor Keiko to strength, perseverance and bravery, a favorite emblem of the
is described releasing carp into a pond for enjoyment, a custom samurai and a ubiquitous image in modern culture, such as the
in place ever since. In addition to representing the divinity of the colorful carp banners flown all over Japan on Boy’s Day.
emperor, carp can also serve as a vehicle or messenger of Shinto
deities.
In Chinese mythology, li yue long men is the story of the mighty
carp struggling upstream against the currents of the Yellow
River, leaping over the river’s Dragon Gate and transforming

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). Koi (Carp), from the series known as Large
Fish. Japan. Edo period, c. 1840-42.