ATSUYOSHI FOR THE MARUKI COMPANY: A SUPERB TOKYO SCHOOL BRONZE OKIMONO OF A BIJIN
Lot 2 - JPN1225

By Miyabe Atsuyoshi for the Maruki Company, signed Atsuyoshi saku and marked Maruki sachu sei
Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912)

Finely cast and naturalistically modeled, this figure portrays a young beauty in rustic attire, poised mid-step upon an irregular naturalistic base. Her head is gently turned to the side, her expression serene and contemplative. She wears layered robes tied with a sash, the crisply chased folds cascading in naturalistic drapery. In her right hand she holds a small curved sickle, while at her waist hangs a satchel brimming with pomegranates. Her hair is neatly arranged beneath a headscarf, and her delicately modeled features are polished to a soft sheen. Signed to the lower edge of the robe ATSUYOSHI saku [made by Atsuyoshi], with a raised square seal Maruki shachu sei [manufactured by the Maruki company].

HEIGHT 46.5 cm
WEIGHT 5,488 g

Provenance: From the collection of Carl Oppermann, officer and captain of the Imperial Navy, acquired before 1917 and thence by descent.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear and casting irregularities.

Miyabe Atsuyoshi, art name Ikkodo, is recorded in Wakayama Takeshi, Kinko Jiten (Dictionary of Metalworkers), Tokyo, Token Shunju Shinbunsha, 1999, p. 1141, as being a maker of sword fittings and a pupil of Shinoyama Tokuoki (1813-1891), active in Kyoto during the late Edo period and early Meiji era.

The Maruki Company was active during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) in Japan, they stand out for the quality and weight of their okimono and are known for producing fine bronzes of animals and human figures.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related smaller Tokyo school bronze okimono of a fisher-girl, signed Atsuyoshi and Maruki sei, 21 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 6 November 2012, London, lot 523 (sold for GBP 2,250 or approx. EUR 4,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Compare a closely related smaller bronze portrait okimono of a bathing nude, 17 cm high, signed Atsuyoshi saku and Maruki sei, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 16 June 2023, Vienna, lot 112 (sold for EUR 5,200).