OSHIMA JOUN: A SUPERB BRONZE OKIMONO OF A CARPBy Oshima Joun (1858-1940), signed Joun Japan, c. 1900, Meiji period (1868-1912)Well cast as a swimming carp, the lower fins forming the feet supporting the okimono, the scales and fins masterfully incised, the eyes with gilt-rimmed pupils, the mouth slightly agape with elegantly curved barbels, the underside with the seal-form signature JOUN within an oval reserve.LENGTH 26 cmWEIGHT 1026 gCondition: Excellent condition with minor wear and casting irregularities. Provenance: French private collection.Oshima Joun (1858-1940) was a professor at Tokyo School of Art from 1887 until 1932 and is regarded as one of the most celebrated bronze-casters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He exhibited at several of the great international expositions of the era, including Paris (1900), St. Louis (1904) and London (1910). His figural okimono are relatively rare.Literature comparison:Compare to a related bronze okimono depicting carps in waves in the Khalili collection illustrated in O. Impey, M. Fairley (eds.), Meiji No Takara: Treasures Of Imperial Japan: Metalwork Vol II, London 1995, cat. 102.J. Earle.