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Antique
Japanese Carved Okimono
Eagle Hunter
Catching Rabbit
Signed: Oshi, Showa, early 20th Century
H.9.25
in.(23.5cm), W.3 in.(7.5cm), D.2.25 in.(5.5cm)
Weight: 19 OZ
Condition:
thin hairlines, o.a. good
An excellent
large okimono with engraved details contrasting with open areas of smooth polished
ivory, depicting a falconer with an eagle after a successful hunt. The carving
is fluid, with the old man’s smiling face finely modeled and engraved. He holds
the caught prey in his left hand while with his right he touches the eagle which
has just perched upon his shoulder. The raptor is expressively modeled with powerful
talons and a fierce gaze, folding her wings as she comes to rest. (Female birds
were preferred for hunting.) Carving is nicely detailed, with distinct feathers,
some of which have been restored on the left wing. The falconer wears a heavily
woven hood, straw boots and simple garments tied with a sash and ornamented with
embroideries in a patchwork motif, with subtle carving bringing out the quality
of the material, as in the softly falling fabric at the back with its unctuous
sheen. The old man probably represents the cadger, the person who provides a perch
for the bird as part of a large hunting party. The
first record of falconry in Japan is reported around 720, A.D. In the late sixteenth
to seventeenth centuries samurai warriors received a military manual that included
a section on falconry. Private Collection |
