Page 172 - Fine Chinese, Japanese and Buddhist Art September 28, 2018 Galerie Zacke

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A VERY LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE JAPANESE BRONZE
STATUE OF KANNON
Japan, Meiji period (1868 - 1912)
Bronze
The goddess of mercy is standing tall on a lotus pedestal,
her hands held in anjali mudra with praying beads around
them. Her robes are beautifully incised with various
floral elements and scrolling foliage and she bears an
accomplished dignified expression.
An exceedingly fine casting in which the carving
is minutely executed, with a sense of delicacy and
refinement that extends to the smallest detail.
The face of Kannon is superbly meditative. Her gesture
that is said to provide connection with the divine in all
things. Hence, performing anjali mudra is a honoring of
both the self and the other as the gesture acknowledges
the divinity of both practitioner and recipient. The sign
is used to invoke the deepest respect that an individual
may feel towards another entity that they may face,
irrespective of age, gender, race or religion.
Around the face are incised locks of hair surmounted
by a crown of Hibiscus flowers, a homage to the Hindu
goddess Kali, destroyer of all evil. Over this crown is
a draped hood of her robes, which fall in perfect arcs
and loops to the base of the stepped lotus throne with
gathers of fabric thinned at the edges to suggest silkiness
and transparency.
Shape: Figural shape with a square base and lotus
pedestal
Dimensions: 68 cm (height)
Condition: Excellent condition with beautiful patina
Provenance: French private collection
EstimateġEUR 1.500,-
Starting price EUR 750,-
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A VERY LARGE ‘LOTUS AND ELEPHANTS’ FOUNTAIN
(133 CM)
Japan, Meiji period (1868 – 1912) – late 19 century
th
Bronze
The fountain consists of three parts, massively cast in
bronze with a dark, almost black patina
Three conjoined elephants stand on a hexagonal plinth,
which is decorated with finely carved dragons in reserves.
The elephant’s tusks, legs and trunks all naturalistically mo-
delled, with a good eye for the fine and important details,
adding resilience to the imposing yet peaceful appearance
of this stunning piece of Japanese garden architecture. The
upper part of the fountain consists of a lobed, veiny lotus
flower, with a capacity of at least 100 liters.
Taking into account the salient provenance of this foun-
tain, it is most likely that it was originally brought to
Austria as a key exhibition object for the Japanese garden
at the Vienna World Fair from 1873. This open-air garden
was the most admired and prized part of the Japanese
pavilion and consisted of artificial water courses, bridges,
bamboo groves, pagodas and shrines. It soon became a
center of attraction at the world fair, because it was actu-
ally the first time in history that Europeans were given the
opportunity to study Japanese garden architecture, with
all is elementary components, such as the ever obligatory
stone lanterns and lotus fountains.
Shape: Hexagonal base with three elephants in the center
and a large lobed lotus leaf on top
Dimensions: 133 cm (height)
Condition: Superb, fully original and complete condition
– fine patina and natural wear, some traces of use
Provenance: From an important Austrian private
collection, acquired before 1930, in which several bronzes
from the Vienna World Fair from 1873 have been both
recorded and published
Literature: Jutta Pemsel, Die Wiener Weltausstellung von
1873, Chapter ‘Großereignis Weltausstellung’, Böhlau
publishers, Vienna/Cologne 1989, page 41; Degree
dissertation Anna Minichberger, University of Vienna.
EstimateġEUR 3.000,-
Starting price EUR 1.500,-
A bronze lotus fountain, in situ in a typical An image from a section of the Japanese
Japanese garden, Kyoto, this example lacking garden at the Vienna World Fair in 1873
the three elephants supporting the basin
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