Japanese bronze puppies signed Ryoun Taishō period

Code: 10161

Dimensions:

Japanese pair of bronze puppies one standing and the other chewing a bamboo branch with eyes inlaid in shakudo, signed in an oval reserve Ryoun 凌雲, Taishō period 1912-1926.

The tomobako wood storage wood bearing inscription: Ryoun saku, do koinu okimono, ittsui (a pair of puppies made by Ryoun) 凌雲作, 銅児豹置物, 一對.
On the reserve lid: Ryoun zo (made by Ryoun) 凌雲造.

Takahashi Ryoun 高橋凌雲 lived in Tokyo and his artistic career spanned from the mid-Meiji period to the Taisho period. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, and was famed for his skill in casting bronze. The Tokyo Casting Association lists him as a designated special member, a ranking reserved for the best artists.

He exhibited at the Paris Great Exposition in 1900 and entered three pieces in the Exhibition catalogue, two pieces were exhibited in the Award winning catalogue. His work can be found in the Museum of the Japanese Imperial Collections in Tokyo (Sannomaru Shōzo-kan宮内庁三の丸尚蔵館). The work in the Exhibition catalogue (plate 34) 'The Era of Meiji Bijutsu-kai and Nihon Kinko Kyokai: Reappraisal of Meiji Art I' won the Silver Medal at the Tokyo Chōkō-kai (Tokyo Sculptors’ Association) in 1900.