6 - OSHIMA JOUN: A MASTERFUL BRONZE OKIMONO OF A SLEEPING SHOJO

OSHIMA JOUN: A MASTERFUL BRONZE OKIMONO OF A SLEEPING SHOJO By Oshima Joun (1858-1940), signed Ichijoken Joun with kakihan Japan, Taisho period (1912-1926) Superbly and heavily cast as the drunken Shojo reclining in a deep slumber against a large sake jar, its broad circular mouth facing outward, the spirit resting both hands languidly upon the vessel. The face is rendered with remarkable sensitivity, the eyes tightly closed beneath prominent brows and the features relaxed in contented intoxication, framed by long locks of hair cascading over the shoulders. The voluminous robes envelop the reclining body in deeply modeled, fluid folds, pooling around the legs and opening at one end to reveal a finely detailed bare foot. The entire composition is finished in a rich, lustrous brown patina, emphasizing the exceptional sculptural modeling and subtle contrasts between the face, hair, garments, and vessel. Signed underneath ICHIJOKEN JOUN with kakihan. LENGTH 34 cm WEIGHT 3.2 kg Provenance: Flying Cranes Antiques, New York, United States. Collection of Eduardo Cohen, acquired from the above upon the closure of the gallery in 2017. Flying Cranes Antiques was founded by Jean and Clifford Schaefer and became a leading New York specialist in Japanese Meiji-period art, particularly metalwork, cloisonné, ceramics, lacquer, and carvings. Over more than four decades, the gallery placed important works in major private and museum collections internationally. Significantly, Flying Cranes still retained a substantial collection of fine Meiji works when it closed in 2017. In her farewell, Jean Schaefer recorded that the gallery’s collections had passed to a purchaser. The present piece formed part of this final gallery collection and was acquired by Eduardo Cohen at the time of its closure. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear. Oshima Joun (1858-1940), born Katsujiro in Edo, was one of the foremost Japanese bronze artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Trained by his father, Oshima Takajiro, in lost-wax casting and metal carving, he entered the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1890 and was appointed professor in 1918, teaching there until 1932. Joun achieved international recognition at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, where his celebrated Sparrows among Rice Ears was awarded a gold medal. His finest works are distinguished by extraordinary casting skill, sensitive observation, and an exceptionally fluid approach to sculptural form. The Shojo is a legendary sake-loving spirit of Chinese origin that became firmly established in Japanese folklore and Noh theater. In the Noh play Shojo, the spirit appears before Kofu, a virtuous liquor seller, on the banks of the Yangtze River. After joyfully drinking and dancing, the Shojo rewards Kofu with a miraculous jar from which liquor flows without end before collapsing into a drunken sleep. Joun's composition captures precisely this final moment, transforming the auspicious tale of abundance and prosperity into an intimate and remarkably naturalistic study of complete inebriated repose. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related work by the same artist, titled Shojo, 33.6 cm long, in the Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art, accession number 2593. Auction comparison: Compare a related bronze okimono of Gama Sennin, by Oshima Joun, dated Taisho to Showa period, 24.2 cm tall, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 12 May 2009, London, lot 228 (sold for GBP 16,800 or approx. EUR 32,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).