日本 江戶時期 十九世紀 銅鷹擺件來源:瑞士私人珍藏Hauteur: 21,5 cm. (8 ? in.)
This lifelike bronze figure of a hawk invokes three long Japanese traditions. The noble sport of hawking, the traditional casting of bronze art objects, and the manufacture of samurai armour. Hawking and horse racing were the two most avidly pursued recreations for the nobility and the samurai of Japan from the Heian period (794 -1185) onwards. Hawking became especially popular among the samurai during the period of civil wars in the 15th and 16th centuries, and many depictions of hawks both wild in their natural habitat and kept tamed in cages or on open perches, on painted scrolls or standing rood screens, survive today. Bronze incense burners in the form of feathery and scaly creatures with a lidded recess on their back in which the incense was burned were made throughout the Edo period by artists like the lady Kamejo who worked in Nagasaki during the 17th century. The wings formed detachable lids on Incense burners made in the form of birds, perhaps a precursor to the concept of articulated feathers. The relevance of armour lies in its construction. Japanese armour is made using helmets, face masks, and sometimes the cuirass and minor components made of individually shaped pieces of iron riveted together. But the main characteristic of Japanese armour is that the major components are composed of rows of linked 'scales' or plates of lacquered iron laced together loosely so as to be almost completely flexible, row over row. This construction parallels the physiology of creatures such as birds, insects, crustaceans, reptiles, and dragons, whose armour-like feathers, shells, scaly or horned features made them readily accessible subjects for the armourers. Among the several schools of armour makers the eminent Myochin family turned their hand to articulated model animals during the early 18th century, either owing to a fall in the demand for armour, or more likely in order to display their skill and draw the attention of their samurai clients. The present hawk is made of intricately cast and tooled bronze, with articulated head and feathers separately formed and riveted in Myochin style. Although there is no signature of a Myochin artist to be found on the bird, the close similarity in both construction and expression to a model iron raven in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art), suggests that this hawk is probably a Myochin piece. The raven is signed under the tail Myochin Munesuke, a name found on iron helmets throughout most of the Edo period (1604-1868), and on articulated model animals since the 17th century. Although being of iron and therefore not of such exquisitely sculpted detail as our hawk, the bird is remarkable in exuding a similar air of knowing and self consciousness. The raven was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1913 at the sale of the great Edouard Mene collection, where it drew great interest and admiration as Dr Mene's favourite piece, and is currently on display in the exhibition 'Birds in the Art of Japan' (Sackler Gallery Metropolitan Museum of Art 2 February 2013 - 28 July 2013). The body of the hawk is patinated overall to the exact colour of the black iron used by the Myochin, and indeed for many years the bird was thought to have been made of iron. The feathers are detailed with fine chisel-work. The beak and eyes are made using shakudo (the black alloy of copper and gold), and gold inlay. The head can be turned from side to side, which together with lateral movement of the feathers of the wings and tail gives rich variety to the hawk's posture and expression. The bird possesses an arresting air of dignity, but as with much Japanese art, there is a humorous aspect to it which the bird almost seems to be knowingly sharing with us. Although standing quite still it appears to be quite energised and alert, epitomizing the 'movement in stillness' of the samurai swordsman's axiom. One can imagine it having once been the pride of a samurai lord whose joy was hawking on his large estates.