A bronze statue of a bijin (美人) holding a lantern

Description:

Japan, Tokyo School, signed Mori Hôsei saku and an another impressed mark, presumably a patent mark with numbering, Meiji Period
H. 86 cm / ca. 116 cm
Depiction of a young standing woman, dressed in a kimono, whose fabric falls in flowing folds and is held at the waist by an obi. On her feet, she wears simple sandals. In her left, raised hand, she holds a lantern (tsuridoro), while her right hand holds the hem of her garment. Her face is characterized by grace, with almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose, and full lips; her hairstyle is intricately arranged into a chignon, held in place by a hairpin. Dark patinated bronze, signed on the plinth. Mounted.
From the collection of Dr C. Duisberg, acquired prior to 1930 - Partial age damage and surface change due to many years of presentation in the park
Mori Hōsei was one of the most prominent sculptors of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō) and exhibited at numerous national and international exhibitions, including the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, where he presented a bronze figure of a farmer, as well as the 1907 Tokyo Industrial Exhibition, where he showed a bronze sculpture of a woman with a lantern. The bronze sculpture of a girl with a lantern offered in our auction may possibly be the same piece that Hōsei exhibited in 1907. The Tokyo School of Fine Arts (Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō) was founded in 1887 and brought together both traditional Japanese and European neoclassical styles in its works. The Japanese bronze casting technique underwent a significant development with the introduction of Western technologies brought to Japan by the Italian sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa, who worked at this school. An example of a comparable sculpture by the artist Mori Hôsei, depicting a reclining bijin, is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accession no.: FE.264:1,2-2018 and another version of this statue was sold at Bonhams, London, 12.05.2011, lot 162.
This lot is subject to standard taxation: a premium of 24.5 % will be charged on the hammer price. Statutory VAT is payable on the hammer price plus premium.