Water drooper in shape of eggplant – (Hirata, Soko) ◄ Edellinen seuraava ►

Artist: Hirata, Soko

Tekniikka: Metal

A water dropper in which water is filled through a hole beneath the bell-ring insect perched on the eggplant and poured from the tip of the calyx, this is one of the few surviving works of Hirata Muneyuki, the premier Meiji era artist in the field of metal hammering. This work shows well the detailed, realistic technique of Hirata Muneyuki, who was charged with instructing the metal hammering program when it was first established at the Tokyo Fine Arts School in 1895. The eggplant has been hammered from shakudo (an alloy of copper and gold), and the calyx attached by the silver soldering. Hirata made the insect perched on the eggplant out of rogin (an alloy of copper and silver), foriming each wing and leg separately and attaching them onto the body by silver soldering. Muneyuki was the adopted son of Hirata Kinnosuke, who served the Tokugawa shogunate with his metal hammering skills, and studied the art under Yabe Jiroemon for ten years. He had been working independently in metal hammering with his grandfather Hirata Sannosuke since 1873, when at the recommendation of the Tokyo Chokokai (Tokyo Metalworking Association) he was placed in charge of two projects: in 1892, a figure of a long-tailed rooster for the Kinkei-no-ma of the Imperial Palace for the Imperial Household Agency and the following year, a silver vase to be presented at a ceremony to mark Emperor Meiji’s silver wedding anniversary, a commission received by the Tokyo Fine Arts School from the Ministry of Communications. Thanks to these achievements, Muneyuki was chosen as the first instructor of the metal hammering department at the Tokyo Fine Arts School. In 1917, he became the only Court Artist specializing in metal hammering and was promoted to professor at the School. Although he thus reached the top of his field, few of his works can be identified today. For this reason, the piece shown here is a valuable work that demonstrates his style. (Writer : Hiroko Yokomizo Source : Selected Masterpieces from The University Art Museum, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music: Grand Opening Exhibition, The University Art Museum, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, 1999)