KATORI HOTSUMA: A PAIR OF POWERFUL BRONZE SHISHI

拍品描述

KATORI HOTSUMA: A PAIR OF POWERFUL BRONZE SHISHI By Katori Hotsuma (1874-1954), signed Katori saku Japan, c. 1935-1940, Showa period (1926-1989) Each seated on its haunches atop a lobed base, the ferocious beasts with a muscular body detailed by a curly mane and bushy tail, their heads slightly turned to the side with a fierce expression conveyed by bulging eyes and open mouth revealing sharp fangs. One figure with gilding, the other in copper bronze with lighter shades of gilt. The bases signed KATORI saku [made by Katori]. HEIGHT 16.5 cm and 16.3 cm, LENGTH 18.3 cm (each) WEIGHT 1.6 kg and 1.5 kg Katori Hotsuma (1874-1954) was a pivotal figure in the history of Japanese metalwork during the twentieth century. He was both a scholar and practitioner. A graduate of the Tokyo Art School, he taught at the institution from 1903 to 1943, shaping generations of students. His artistry gained international recognition, earning his first award at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900. Hotsuma was instrumental in establishing several metalwork study groups and art associations, further contributing to the development of the field. From 1934, he served as a judge at the Teiten annual national exhibitions, where he regularly exhibited his own work. His influence on Japanese metalwork is also explored in Kendall H. Brown's Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945 (2012). Auction comparison: Compare a closely related bronze figure of a shishi by Katori Hotsuma (1874-1954), circa 1935-1940, 40.5 cm wide, at Bonhams, Belles œuvres d’art japonaises et coréennes, 22 March 2023, New York, lot 917 (at a low estimate of USD 8,000 or approx. EUR 7,400 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).

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