Torr Antiques & Decorative Arts

Description

This is a nicely sculpted wooden bear shown prowling on four legs with its head bent to one side with teeth bared menacingly, Japanese early to mid 20th century. The body and legs are naturalistically carved all over to simulate fur. Finished in a black stain, handling and age has resulted in some wear to the back, ears and snout causing the natural colour of the wood to show through.

We have acquired a collection of twelve museum quality Japanese carved wooden bears of which this is one of the smaller.

Dimensions: Width 32 cm, Depth 17 cm, Height 20 cm
Weight: 1.94 kg

Condition: Very good vintage condition with some minor wear commensurate with age. There are some fine shrinkage cracks on the right side of the bear's face and right shoulder but these appear to be shallow and stable. The variation in colour due to wear just adds to the appearance.

The Japanese have a strong tradition of wood carving but the heritage of bear sculptures dates back to 1922, when Yoshichika Tokugawa, a feudal lord, brought folk crafts back from his trip to Switzerland, and used them as models to promote woodcarving as a side business for the farmers on the island of Hokkaido. In 1924, the first Hokkaido-made bear woodcarving was created by a dairy farmer, modeled after this Swiss folk craft. In time, a craft industry developed producing high quality carvings of bears in different poses which were sold to tourists and collectors from around the world. Though the craft is in decline due to the time required to carve one of these bears its history is celebrated in a dedicated museum in Yakumo, Hokkaido containing over 300 bear carvings including the first ever carving and a magnificent bear presented to the Emperor of Japan.

Postage & packing: £7.50 within the UK. Please contact us for a quote if it is to be posted to an international destination.

Please use the enquiry form to request further photographs or details of this item, or make a purchase. Alternatively, call David on +44 7931 370372