26 - UNHO: AN EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE BRONZE ‘STRIDING TOAD’ OKIMONO

UNHO: AN EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE BRONZE ‘STRIDING TOAD’ OKIMONO By Unho (Unpo), signed Unho saku Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) Superbly and naturalistically cast as a large toad in mid-stride, its heavy body carried low to the ground and the right leg extended, imparting a remarkably convincing sense of movement. The skin is meticulously modeled with minute dimples and wart-like protuberances, complemented by finely rendered folds around the limbs and flanks. Particularly striking are the large, protruding eyes, superbly inlaid in gilt and shakudo and lending the animal an alert, almost uncannily lifelike expression. The broad mouth, nostrils, and individually delineated toes are equally sensitively observed. Signed underneath UNHO saku [made by Unho]. LENGTH 37 cm WEIGHT 4.7 kg Provenance: Collection of Margaret Roebling Perrine, Trenton, New Jersey. Margaret Roebling Perrine was a member of the prominent Roebling family and the daughter of Ferdinand W. Roebling, a leading figure in John A. Roebling’s Sons Company, the celebrated family engineering and manufacturing enterprise intimately associated with the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1893, she married Frederic Auten Combs Perrine (1862-1908), a pioneering electrical engineer who became the first professor at Stanford University to teach electrical engineering. Margaret and Frederic were avid collectors of Japanese and Chinese art, assembling an important collection during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Works from Margaret Roebling Perrine’s collection, including important Japanese prints and Chinese works of art, have subsequently appeared at major international auctions. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and expected casting irregularities. Unho (Unpo) is recorded by Robert Haynes in The Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists, p. 2167, no. H 1106.0. Active around the turn of the 20th century, he worked in the tradition of the Goto Ichijo school. At 37 cm in length and weighing 4.7 kg, the present okimono is exceptionally large for a naturalistic Meiji-period bronze of a toad. The impressive scale transforms an intimate animal study into a substantial sculpture while retaining the minute surface detail and close observation of nature characteristic of the finest Meiji metalwork. Auction comparison: Compare a related naturalistically modeled bronze toad, signed Daisanme Wado no saku, dated 19th century, 26 cm long, at Christie’s, Asian Art, 21 November 2007, Amsterdam, lot 585A (sold for EUR 5,250 or approx. EUR 8,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).