Takase Kozan (1869-1934)


A fine silver articulated model of a carpMeiji (1868-1912) or Taisho (1912-1926) era, late 19th/early 20th centuryRealistically rendered, the fins, mouth, eyes and tail intricately detailed and constructed of smoothly moving parts, signed on the underside with chiseled signature Kozan and with a kao 12 3/4in (32.3cm) long
|Born in Kanazawa the eldest son of Takase Kanatake, Kozan started working in the export department of Ikeda Seisuke's export company in Kobe, in 1883 and transferred in 1887 to the metalworking division of the factory's Kyoto branch, where he learned metalworking techniques from Tomiki Isuke. In 1893, he became independent and started a business selling metalwork both domestically and abroad, soon becoming famous for his articulated studies of sea life and insects. In 1910, the artist was honored when the Crown Prince (later the Taisho Emperor) purchased several of his astonishingly realistic articulated insects during a visit to Kyoto. A nearly identical, but slightly smaller silver model of a carp by Kozan was sold in Bonhams, London November 6, 2014, lot 382.