Bronze - Japan - Meiji period (1868-1912)

Japanese Meiji-period bronze plate with Sentoku- and Shakudo-inlay work

A round bronze plate with high-relief mixed-metal inlay, characteristic of metalworking from the Meiji period. The composition uses several alloys—probably sentoku (yellow brass), shakudo (copper-gold) and shibuichi (copper-silver)—to create a colorful pictorial rendering of a figure seated by the water at a traditional roofed boat. Fine katakiri-bori engraving marks the ripples on the water and the tree bark, while the herons and cherry blossoms are relief to create a dimensional effect.

970 grams
2.3 cm high
27.5 wide