Large perfume burner or koro by Oshima Joun

The whole is made up of two parts in patinated bronze, all chased with intersecting lines to form a plain background. The lid is surmounted by a sculpture representing a seated woman in kimono, her long hair pulled back over her shoulders by an elegant play of strands. Beautiful motifs of stylised clouds and birds decorate her traditional dress. To her right, she gazes at the bucket surrounded by flowers and leaves.
The body of the handled vase rests on four moulded feet in the shape of ferocious dragons holding a pearl in their mouths, a source of power. The body of this koro is decorated with six cartouches depicting: an eagle holding a snake in its talons, a monkey picking fruit, a fish in water, a butterfly and flowers, a child and a squirrel. This vase bears a signature under the base: Oshima joun and his pseudonym ichijoken.
The fingers of the left hand are broken.
Dim: H 19.7 in / diam 11.8 in.
Oshima Joun (1858-1940) was a professor at the Tokyo School of Art from 1887 to 1932 and is considered one of the most famous bronze founders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He took part in several major international exhibitions of the period, including Paris (1900), Saint-Louis (1904) and London (1910).