| 中文版 English

具体要求

其它要求

-
关闭
MYOCHIN: A JIZAI OKIMONO OF A PRAYING MANTIS
奥地利
06月12日 晚上7点 开拍 / 06月10日 下午3点 截止委托
拍品描述
MYOCHIN: A JIZAI OKIMONO OF A PRAYING MANTIS

By a member of the Myochin family, signed Myochin
Japan, 18th-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Finely and realistically rendered, constructed from numerous russet-iron plates, each carefully hammered and assembled, to form four hinged wings and a solid dorsal backplate, along with four movable legs affixed to the lower body and two grasping forelegs attached to the upper section. The head and antennae are fully articulated, allowing for detailed movement. The abdomen signed MYOCHIN.

LENGTH 24.3 cm (with fully extended limbs)
WEIGHT 42.4 g

Provenance: Collection of Dr. Richard Brown, thence by descent. Richard F. Brown (1898-1963) was a Canadian Anglican missionary physician who served in China, notably at St. Paul’s Hospital in Henan, from c. 1930. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he acted as a field doctor, providing urgent medical care near the front lines, and in 1938 collaborated with fellow Canadian Dr. Norman Bethune in treating wounded soldiers. Brown’s experiences in East Asia led to his deep connection with local cultures and traditional arts, inspiring him to assemble an impressive collection of East Asian art, especially Japanese okimono, netsuke and sagemono.
Condition: Very good condition with only minor wear, some light warping and bending to segments, minor areas of corrosion.

The basic principle of Japanese armor lies in its flexibility, achieved through the assembly of numerous small, lacquered metal plates laced together in rows, allowing a high degree of freedom of movement. It is this very quality of articulation that gave rise to the term ‘jizai’ to describe articulated okimono. The subjects favored by jizai okimono craftsmen are primarily dragons, snakes, crustaceans, birds, and insects, creatures whose segmented bodies, scales, or feathers provide both protection and mobility, mirroring the articulated construction of Japanese armor itself. Meticulously crafted from hammered iron plates, these articulated figures were highly prized as decorative objects and served as sources of fascination, entertainment, and discussion.

The Myochin family was the most prominent of the numerous dynasties of professional armorers that originated in late medieval Japan. During the Edo period (1615–1868), they established branches not only in major urban centers but also in the principal towns of various provincial domains, producing large quantities of cuirasses, helmets, facial masks, and other components required for samurai armor. Myochin craftsmen were highly skilled in the use of minute rivets to join multiple iron plates, creating armor that was both lightweight and remarkably flexible. Over time, they adapted these techniques to produce intricate and strikingly lifelike articulated models of snakes, fish, crustaceans, and insects.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related iron articulated model of a praying mantis, with losses to the feelers, signed Myochin, late Edo period, 19th century, 16.5 cm long (the body), at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, New York, 22 September 2005, lot 243 (sold for USD 2,040 or approx. EUR 2,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).

本场其它拍品

  • 竞价阶梯
  • 快递物流
  • 拍卖规则
  • 支付方式
竞价区间 加价幅度
0
10
50
50
600
100
1,600
200
4,000
500
8,000
1,000
16,000
2,000
40,000
5,000
80,000
10,000
160,000
20,000
+

委托价 (已有0次出价)

欧元

价格信息

拍品估价:2,000 - 4,000 欧元 起拍价格:2,000 欧元  买家佣金:

拍卖公司

Galerie Zacke
地址: Sterngasse 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria
电话: 0043-1-5320452
邮编: 1070
向卖家提问