Decorative ornament - Annosuke - Unicorn Tea Pet Ornament - Japan

This piece is a cast-copper "tea pet" ornament depicting a unicorn, created by the renowned Japanese metalwork artist Yasunosuke. A celebrated master in the field, Yasunosuke excelled in copper casting and three-dimensional metal sculpting, producing works characterized by exquisite craftsmanship and vivid detail.

The piece portrays a unicorn in a curled, recumbent posture, its body fully adorned with patterns of scales and swirling waves. Each scale is rendered with distinct, three-dimensional texture, while the mane and claws are carved with meticulous precision, capturing an expression that is both majestic and spirited. Cast as a single unit from fine copper and bearing the artist's signature, this item is a distinctive collector's piece for the scholar's studio.

"Annosuke" is the hereditary title held by the masters of Ryūbundō, a renowned metal-casting lineage from Kyoto. Since the Edo period, Ryūbundō has stood as a premier Japanese metal-casting workshop. Each successive Annosuke has been a master craftsman of the highest caliber, deeply dedicated to the art of lost-wax casting and celebrated for creating tea ceremony implements and small-scale metal sculptures.