TAKAMURA KOUN: A FINE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF K... Lot n° 19

TAKAMURA KOUN: A FINE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF KANNON By Takamura Koun (1852-1934), signed Takamura Koun to Japan, early 20th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) to Taisho period (1912-1926) The Bodhisattva of mercy and compassion elegantly sculpted, standing on a circular base atop lotus petals, her left hand holding a lotus bud stalk, the hair tied into a high chignon and adorned with the floral crown centered by Amida, the upper body wrapped in a johaku (decorative scarf), the folds of the garment softly rendered, the reverse of the figure signed in chiseled characters TAKAMURA KOUN to [carved by Takamura Koun]. HEIGHT 32.2 cm WEIGHT 1,793 g Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few small nicks, light surface scratches, and minor casting irregularities. The lot is accompanied by a presentation card written in Japanese, with the biography of the artist and a photo of the present lot. A key figure in the development of Japanese sculpture in the later Meiji, Taisho and early Showa eras, Takamura Koun started his career as a specialist carver of Buddhist images and came to international attention in 1877 when he showed a sandalwood figure of the White-Robed Kannon at the first Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai (Domestic Industrial Exhibition). The figure was purchased by a Yokohama merchant for a high price and from that time on Koun increasingly produced work in a style designed to suit changing tastes in Japan and overseas, participating in foreign expositions and receiving many important official commissions. His most famous works are public statues of Kusunoki Masashige, outside the Imperial Palace, and of Saigo Takamori, at the entrance to Ueno Park. In October 1890 he became one of the first two sculptors to be appointed Teishitsu Gigeiin (Artist to the Imperial Household). It was during the 1880s that Koun first carved wooden models to be cast in bronze; this is a later example of such a collaboration, admirably combining deep familiarity with Buddhist iconography and a fluent, Western-inflected glyptic style. For a more detailed assessment of Koun's well-documented career, see Christine M. E. Guth, 'Takamura Koun and Takamura Kotaro: On Being a Sculptor', in Melinda Takeuchi ed., The Artist as Professional in Japan, Stanford, 2004, pp.152-179. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related bronze figure of Kannon by Takamura Koun and Takamura Toyochika, dated Taisho to Showa period, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 15 May 2014, London, lot 542 (sold for GPB 3,500).