Page 5 - September 21 2021 Important Japanese Art Christie's NYC

PROPERTY FROM A PRINCELY COLLECTION OF
IMPORTANT JIZAI SCULPTURES
(LOTS 1-15)

Jizai okimono: Articulated Metal Sculpture

I ngenious metalsmiths trained of animals are the invention of
movable
sculptures
samurai
the
in
of
manufacture
Japanese
armor. The Myochin family of armorers is credited with the first
sculptures of this type in the eighteenth century. In relative peacetime,
the demand for arms and armor, except for display purposes, had
slowed. To meet the changes in demand, the Myochin expanded their
repertoire into metalwork of a decorative and symbolic nature. Some
see these articulated models as the culmination of the armorer’s skill
and imagination. Known as jizai okimono, literally “free display objects”,
these intricate sculptures are a unique genre of Japanese sculptural art.

The restoration of the Japanese emperor in 1868 and the dismantling
of the samurai domains further impacted the tradition of metalwork
in place by the fifteenth century. Rapid industrialization and Japan’s
decision to compete economically on a world scale encouraged new
artists and ateliers who had not trained in the Myochin school. Kozan
(Takase Torakichi; 1869-1934) created a remarkable body of work,
including the elaborate set of silver insects offered here as lot 1. Itao
Shinjiro (1842-1911) participated, along with many other metal artists,
in world’s fairs, notably at the World’s Columbian Exposition in
Chicago in 1893. His eagle, offered at lot 11, is regarded as one of the
most important works among his many masterpieces. Other exceptional
metal artists in this sale include Muneyoshi (Tanaka Tadayoshi:?-1958),
Muneaki (Ishikawa Musaburo, early 20th century) and Munekazu
(Tomiki Isume I; 1835-1894).

A century or more has passed since these magnificent mobile sculptures
were made, yet they are as fresh and as captivating as the moment a
prodigiously skilled and gifted imagination chose to make them.