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A LARGE MEIJI JAPANESE BRONZE EAGLE (CA. 1890) WITH GILT CRYSTAL EYES
Tokyo Bronze School
Japanese Meiji Period (ca. 1890)
A Cast Bronze Eagle with Gold & Crystal Eyes
Original patina, fine detail, powerful composition: masterful modeling in a commanding pose. This eagle's stern gaze and imposing presence sets a mood more startling than the real thing.
Largest known wingspan in its 19th century class (over 3 feet wide, approx. 38"), except outdoor monuments.
Fully-open wings are unusual compared to more typical renderings at rest, retracted, or semi-extended, as practical considerations typically overruled artistic freedom. Not in this case. The gigantic eagle - a force of nature - has wings unfettered, in full glory.
Many low-quality Japanese bronze eagles were produced in the mid-20th century mimicking these finer earlier models. They are found, now & then, on eBay. Of the two highest-rank classes of Meiji bronze eagles, only the deep brown (almost golden) patinated eagles where every feather is individually cast exceed the quality of this specimen. This eagle boasts individually cast body feathers, with the wings & tail feathers cast together and intricately incised. Of this type, this is one of the finest examples.
For an eagle of the same workshop & period (note rendering of eyes, ivy leaves, & feathers) with half-closed wings, see Christie's, South Kensington: 2012 (Lot 88), which sold for appoximately $18,000 USD.
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5560936
Suzuki Chokichi, the renowned Imperial Japanese raptor master, created bronze eagles that tended to be stouter than the present subject. However, he is attributed as the creator of a very similar eagle to the present specimen in the famed Kahlili Collection (https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/figure-of-an-eagle-330104), which I will allow you to judge for yourself.
Due to the modular assembly of that Kahlili piece matching the points & manner of joinery at the wings of our specimen, as well as the cast & incised wings (rather than individually cast feathers on those members), the likelihood of a shared studio origin for these two specimens is high.
Thus, the Kahlili attribution, itself, is the primary point of reflection. If accurate, a Chokichi attribution would at least quadruple the $15,000, if not push it to 6 figures. The typical inscription / signature area (beneath) has never been separated from the base for inspection.
Mounted on a round black quartz base.
THE STORY
In my long life loving nature, all things avian, and particularly birds of prey (with eagles at the top, as for most raptorphiles), the confluence of my interest with the Japanese aesthetic in animal rendering came later than some, earlier than others. But, when it did come, Japanese bronze eagles in every form were a first love. One of my early appreciations was merely a cast bronze head of an eagle (Meiji) mounted on a walnut base, in the collection of a famous enamel collector I counted as a friend. In the years ahead, I would grab a quality antique Meiji eagle on those rare occasions I encountered them. This fellow was just such a specimen.
A very heavy, very large, andvery masculinebronze statue. If you are an American power-oriented businessman, this totem is a very intimidating wingman (no pun intended) when signing deals at the desk (think Dallas…).
High-priced, low-quality reproduction galleries produce authoritative eagle statues for the offices of patriotic CEOs of the traditional business world, but they fail in every respect compared to the quality & grandeur of an antique masterpiece like this.
While Japanese in origin, this late 19th to early 20th century era saw an historic period of partnership & cooperation between Americans and the Japanese (the World Expositions, the gifting of the cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C., etc.), including installation projects of monumental bronze eagles, and a collecting frenzy of all things Japanese (as with the earlier Japonisme movement in Europe). The “Boston College Eagle” story offers a rare window into this special chapter in American art history, and was a feature of the “Eaglemania” exhibition at the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College (Collecting Japanese Art in Gilded Age America - https://west86th.bgc.bard.edu/exhibitionnotes/eaglemania/).
While the Japanese’s intimate artistic animal representation is renown (with roots in their Shinto religious origins), they were also aware of their American compatriots’ love for eagles, specifically, as part of our hallowed national pagentry & iconography.
As such, many of these Meiji eagles were produced for intent of export to the American market. When set against other available eagle bronzes, therefore, ‘tis better to choose the superior Japanese quality & history over the modern, hackneyed, kitsch alternatives. Moreover, many of the modern examples that will cost you $5,000 or more are not even real cast bronze (lost wax or otherwise), but resinous powdered bronze or lower quality metallic moulds, costing the makers only a few hundred dollars or so to make, with the rest being pure profit (all for a pile of junk, which loses 95% of its value the minute you buy it).
If your goal is a gorgeous and imposing piece of power art, you will be over the moon with this artwork. Just be sure your desk or stand is strong enough to support it! This is one serious piece of bronze, and it weighs a proverbial TON.
P.S.
See the 2019 NGA, D.C. exhibition catalog “The Life of Animals in Japanese Art” (conceived of & authored by another old friend of mine) for a broad view of how an inimitably Japanese soul & skill imbued itself into their artistic creations of all things animal.
OUR UNIQUE PRICE TRANSPARENCY:
$5,000 was paid for this gorgeous eagle, from a bona fide antique shop with decades of experience and overall high prices. The owner said it had been buried during the Holocaust in Europe and retrieved by the family after WWII. Story aside, the dealers (who were, of course, generalists - not specialists) thought the bronze to be Chinese, and thus, had not added the proper premium for highly collectible Japanese bronze eagles of the Meiji period. Leaving aside any potential Chokichi association, numerous inferior (some smaller, or some near-equal) Meiji bronze eagle examples to this one can be found at quality 1stdibs dealers or reputable galleries for $10,000 to $25,000, with a $15,000 minimum for this general size & quality (our current chosen list price). One must also consider the inflation-adjusted price of this particular example’s closest comp at Christie’s, London (abovementioned), at approximately $18,000, to appreciate the opportunity here.
Offers are always welcome, and will be considered. We cover all shipping & crating FREE, which means we will lose $1,000 to $3,000+ to professionally crate & freight this bronze to you. An artwork damaged in transit is never an acceptable part of any art transaction with us.
Provenance:
Art Market, Southwestern U.S.A.
Property of a Philanthropist of the Arts & Sciences, 2022.
Tokyo Bronze School
Japanese Meiji Period (ca. 1890)
A Cast Bronze Eagle with Gold & Crystal Eyes
Original patina, fine detail, powerful composition: masterful modeling in a commanding pose. This eagle's stern gaze and imposing presence sets a mood more startling than the real thing.
Largest known wingspan in its 19th century class (over 3 feet wide, approx. 38"), except outdoor monuments.
Fully-open wings are unusual compared to more typical renderings at rest, retracted, or semi-extended, as practical considerations typically overruled artistic freedom. Not in this case. The gigantic eagle - a force of nature - has wings unfettered, in full glory.
Many low-quality Japanese bronze eagles were produced in the mid-20th century mimicking these finer earlier models. They are found, now & then, on eBay. Of the two highest-rank classes of Meiji bronze eagles, only the deep brown (almost golden) patinated eagles where every feather is individually cast exceed the quality of this specimen. This eagle boasts individually cast body feathers, with the wings & tail feathers cast together and intricately incised. Of this type, this is one of the finest examples.
For an eagle of the same workshop & period (note rendering of eyes, ivy leaves, & feathers) with half-closed wings, see Christie's, South Kensington: 2012 (Lot 88), which sold for appoximately $18,000 USD.
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5560936
Suzuki Chokichi, the renowned Imperial Japanese raptor master, created bronze eagles that tended to be stouter than the present subject. However, he is attributed as the creator of a very similar eagle to the present specimen in the famed Kahlili Collection (https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/figure-of-an-eagle-330104), which I will allow you to judge for yourself.
Due to the modular assembly of that Kahlili piece matching the points & manner of joinery at the wings of our specimen, as well as the cast & incised wings (rather than individually cast feathers on those members), the likelihood of a shared studio origin for these two specimens is high.
Thus, the Kahlili attribution, itself, is the primary point of reflection. If accurate, a Chokichi attribution would at least quadruple the $15,000, if not push it to 6 figures. The typical inscription / signature area (beneath) has never been separated from the base for inspection.
Mounted on a round black quartz base.
THE STORY
In my long life loving nature, all things avian, and particularly birds of prey (with eagles at the top, as for most raptorphiles), the confluence of my interest with the Japanese aesthetic in animal rendering came later than some, earlier than others. But, when it did come, Japanese bronze eagles in every form were a first love. One of my early appreciations was merely a cast bronze head of an eagle (Meiji) mounted on a walnut base, in the collection of a famous enamel collector I counted as a friend. In the years ahead, I would grab a quality antique Meiji eagle on those rare occasions I encountered them. This fellow was just such a specimen.
A very heavy, very large, andvery masculinebronze statue. If you are an American power-oriented businessman, this totem is a very intimidating wingman (no pun intended) when signing deals at the desk (think Dallas…).
High-priced, low-quality reproduction galleries produce authoritative eagle statues for the offices of patriotic CEOs of the traditional business world, but they fail in every respect compared to the quality & grandeur of an antique masterpiece like this.
While Japanese in origin, this late 19th to early 20th century era saw an historic period of partnership & cooperation between Americans and the Japanese (the World Expositions, the gifting of the cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C., etc.), including installation projects of monumental bronze eagles, and a collecting frenzy of all things Japanese (as with the earlier Japonisme movement in Europe). The “Boston College Eagle” story offers a rare window into this special chapter in American art history, and was a feature of the “Eaglemania” exhibition at the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College (Collecting Japanese Art in Gilded Age America - https://west86th.bgc.bard.edu/exhibitionnotes/eaglemania/).
While the Japanese’s intimate artistic animal representation is renown (with roots in their Shinto religious origins), they were also aware of their American compatriots’ love for eagles, specifically, as part of our hallowed national pagentry & iconography.
As such, many of these Meiji eagles were produced for intent of export to the American market. When set against other available eagle bronzes, therefore, ‘tis better to choose the superior Japanese quality & history over the modern, hackneyed, kitsch alternatives. Moreover, many of the modern examples that will cost you $5,000 or more are not even real cast bronze (lost wax or otherwise), but resinous powdered bronze or lower quality metallic moulds, costing the makers only a few hundred dollars or so to make, with the rest being pure profit (all for a pile of junk, which loses 95% of its value the minute you buy it).
If your goal is a gorgeous and imposing piece of power art, you will be over the moon with this artwork. Just be sure your desk or stand is strong enough to support it! This is one serious piece of bronze, and it weighs a proverbial TON.
P.S.
See the 2019 NGA, D.C. exhibition catalog “The Life of Animals in Japanese Art” (conceived of & authored by another old friend of mine) for a broad view of how an inimitably Japanese soul & skill imbued itself into their artistic creations of all things animal.
OUR UNIQUE PRICE TRANSPARENCY:
$5,000 was paid for this gorgeous eagle, from a bona fide antique shop with decades of experience and overall high prices. The owner said it had been buried during the Holocaust in Europe and retrieved by the family after WWII. Story aside, the dealers (who were, of course, generalists - not specialists) thought the bronze to be Chinese, and thus, had not added the proper premium for highly collectible Japanese bronze eagles of the Meiji period. Leaving aside any potential Chokichi association, numerous inferior (some smaller, or some near-equal) Meiji bronze eagle examples to this one can be found at quality 1stdibs dealers or reputable galleries for $10,000 to $25,000, with a $15,000 minimum for this general size & quality (our current chosen list price). One must also consider the inflation-adjusted price of this particular example’s closest comp at Christie’s, London (abovementioned), at approximately $18,000, to appreciate the opportunity here.
Offers are always welcome, and will be considered. We cover all shipping & crating FREE, which means we will lose $1,000 to $3,000+ to professionally crate & freight this bronze to you. An artwork damaged in transit is never an acceptable part of any art transaction with us.
Provenance:
Art Market, Southwestern U.S.A.
Property of a Philanthropist of the Arts & Sciences, 2022.