570 - A delicate, large bronze mirror depicting a pair of cranes, a nandina and a pine tree (e-kagami)

A delicate, large bronze mirror depicting a pair of cranes, a nandina and a pine tree (e-kagami) Japan, signed Iyo no Kami Fujiwara Yoshishige (伊予守藤原吉重), Edo period, 18th/19th century. H. 42,5 cm Bronze (hakudō alloy), cast and chased, with a handle wrapped in bamboo. The reverse of the circular mirror features, in the centre, a medallion with a pair of cranes (tsuru) facing each other in relief, their wings spread wide and intertwined to form a heart-shaped- a traditional motif symbolising marital fidelity and long life. The medallion is framed by a raised ring and set within a sweeping landscape composition: branches of nandina (nanten, with its characteristic clusters of berries) and bamboo rise above the upper edge of the image, whilst at the lower edge a rocky shore with pine trees(matsu) and stylised waves marks the transition to the handle. Nandina, bamboo, the crane and the pine are all symbols of good fortune, permanence and a long life, and frequently appear together in Japanese art as New Year or wedding motifs. The handle is traditionally wrapped in plaited bamboo (or rattan), as is typical for e-kagami from the Edo period. From an old German private collection, collected from the 1960s onwards This is a hand mirror with a handle, a design that became established from the 16th century onwards and whose diameter increased during the Edo period in line with the increasingly elaborate hairstyles of women. The polished front served as the actual reflective surface; the reverse side shown here was intended for decorative purposes. At the bottom right of the rim, in two vertical columns, is the signature of the Kagami-shi (mirror-maker): 伊予守藤原吉重 Iyo no Kami Fujiwara Yoshishige. ‘Iyo no Kami’ is a so-called ryōmei title - an honorary name conferred upon craftsmen, derived from a historical province (in this case: Iyo, now Ehime on Shikoku), which mirror-makers have borne since the Middle Ages alongside swordsmiths, as252; since the mirror is one of Japan’s three imperial regalia. Fujiwara refers to the traditional clan to which numerous families of artisans traced their lineage. From 1573 onwards, Oda Nobunaga conferred the title ‘Tenka-ichi’ (天下一, ‘First under Heaven’) upon deserving craftsmen; this title was subsequently also increasingly used by mirror-makers as a suffix to their signatures. However, as the title had become overused across different trades and industries, the fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi, prohibited its further use in 1682. From then on, mirror-makers signed their works with ryōmei titles such as ‘Izumi no Kami’ or - as in this instance - ‘Iyo no Kami’, without the addition of ‘Tenka-ichi’. It was not until the late Edo period, when the ban was relaxed, that kagami-shi began combining both elements again to form longer signatures. The signature on this piece, consisting solely of an honorary title and a family name, is therefore consistent with the mid-Edo period - Minimal signs of age, well preserved