AKASOFU GYOKKO: FUJIWARA NO YASUMASA
By Akasofu Gyokko, signed GyokkoJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)The heavily cast two-color patinated bronze okimono in distinct Miyao style with its gilt accents and fine engraving superbly portraying the military commander Fujiwara no Yasumasa. Fujiwara no Yasumasa plays a flute on the Ichihara Moor, wears an eboshi and is clad in a wind-swept hitatare garment with phoenix crests and mitsugashira hidari tomoe mons picked out in massive gilding. His piercing eyes are inlaid in silver and bronze. He carries a removable katana sword. The statue is supported on a carved openwork wood stand embellished with floral scrolls. The gilt signature cartouche on the back reads GYOKKO.HEIGHT 35 cm (including the stand)WEIGHT 3.8 kilograms (including the stand)Condition: Superb condition with only minor wear and traces of use. The stand with some abrasions, a fine natural patina, minute losses and age cracks. The statue still retains the original Katana. Rare!Provenance: From an English private collection. Acquired in Italy on August 9th, 1976, at Galleria Morosini, according to and old handwritten collector label at the base.Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related figure of Fujiwara no Yasumasa at Bonham’s San Francisco on December 9th, 2008, in Fine Asian Works of Art, lot 5228, sold for USD $19.200,-.