Japanese bronze okimono group of turtles signed Nogami Ryuki, Meiji period

Japanese bronze okimono group of three turtles signed in a rectangular reserve Nogami Ryuki 野上龍起, Meiji Period.

This piece was in the collection of the Empress Shoken (1849-1914) the consort of the Emperor Meiji of Japan.

The original tomobako bearing inscriptions: Shoken kotaigo o-ibutsu, o-tana-kazari, kame, Taisho gannen, gogatsu juu-ku-nichi (decorative okimono object of turtles which belonged to the late Empress Shoken dated 19^th of May, Taisho 1st year 1912). 昭憲皇太后御遺物, 御棚飾り, 亀. 大正元年, 五月十九日. With label Nanajuu-san-go (Item no. 73)七捨参号.

The artist Nogami Ryuki 野上龍起(1865-1932) graduated from the Tokyo School of  Fine Art, examples of his works (turtles) can be found at his graduate University and also at the Tokyo National Museum (grasshopper and rice plants). He exhibited several bronze works of kame(turtles) at the Paris Great Exhibition in 1900.

He studied bronze casting under one of the most notable metal craftsmen of the Meiji era Oshima Joun 大島如雲 (1858-1940), who was professor at the Tokyo School of Fine Art. Bronze statue of Kusunoki Masashige near the Imperial Palace and the bronze statue of Saigo Takamori at Ueno Park, both in Tokyo, were made by Nogami Ryuki.

Reference: “The Golden Age of Japanese Okimono- The Dr. Kanter’s Collection” Laura Bordignon 2010, Metalwork no. 242.

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance