TAKAHASHI RYOUN: A MASSIVE AND MASTERFUL BRONZE OF DARUMA By Takahashi Ryoun, signed Takahashi Ryoun Japan, Tokyo, Meiji period (1868-1912) A massively and masterfully casted black-patinated bronze of the Zen-patriarch Daruma (Bodhidharma). Daruma is seated with his hands crossed around his raised knee and has a stern-faced expression with bushy brows and the eyes inlaid in gold with black pupils. He wears large heavy earrings. Daruma is almost completely enveloped in his robe, the folds of the robe masterfully accentuated and flowing. Note also the finely crafted hands and feet, with long fingernails. The underside shows his second foot emerging from his robe and the four-character signature in square seal form TAKAHASHI RYOUN. Takahashi Ryoun lived in Tokyo and was active from the late Meiji period into the early Showa period. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and was famed for his skill in bronze casting. The Tokyo Casting Association lists him as a designated special member, a ranking reserved only for the best artists. He exhibited his works at the Paris Great Exposition in 1900: three pieces were entered in the Exhibition Catalogue Two (Q 107, 161, 175), and one piece was exhibited in the Award Winning Catalogue. His work can be found in the Museum of the Japanese Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozo-kan) in Tokyo. HEIGHT 50 cm, LENGTH 52 cm WEIGHT 28.5 kg Condition: Excellent condition, minor wear to underside. Provenance: French private collection.