This is a shibuichi hawk which has been hammered and engraved and then inlaid with shakudo, gold and silver.

Birds were a favourite theme in Meiji period sculpture where the virtuosity of technique was a main feature. It may have been made for one of the International Expositions where Japan sought to demonstrate the skill of its craftsmen to the west. The stand is contemporary with the sculpture and probably associated with it.

Provenance

Not known.


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