Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-09-08
JAPANESE ART IN METAL

Specimens That Surpass Anything of the
Kind Produced Elsewhere.
The Japanese have excelled all other
| peoples in the manipulation of iron.
| In these islands iron occurs in the form
of magnetic oxides, and the cost of
smelling it has been and remains very
great, which circumstance has no doubt
given to that metal something of the
| value which it has held among metals
| elsewhere regarded as incomparably
more precious. The best of the Japan
csc iron is a sort of titantide, hard to
work, but producing rich results The
very difficulty OF producing effects has
] been an attraction to the japanese arti-
san, and what he has done in this I'M
| kind material has therefore an unusual
artistic value. One of the most note
worthy pieces in this material iu a no.
! table collection is a large vessel de-
| signed in the form of a shibach or fire
| box, but never so used, having been
| constructed in the first instance to pre-
serve two panels of repousse work as
| cribed to the great Mio-chin, the first of
the family of that name in which the
craft has descended. This Mio-chin is
said to have lived in the twelfth CEN
fury, and this may or may not be so,
but that the two panels are very
ancient there is no doubt, as no
| work of the sort is now done.
The two panels represent, the
one dragon, the other a lion; they
are wrought without doubt by the ham
mer, and finished by the chisel and the
file, or tools that correspond to these.
The figures, of course, represent nothing
real. being conventionalized to the ex-
Z
astonishing The curious something in
| which the dragons coils are entangled
and which may be tree branches, are
done in gold, and so are the edges of the
cloud-like whorls about either animal,
| and the eyes of them, and the round
spots upon the ion-lilze creaSure-whose
| immense waving name and tail add
to the picturesque riddle of his charac-
ter. The vessel is twenty inches high
and fifteen inches broad across its ears,
which inclose pendent rings. The pam
els are surrounded by rims of gold, out
side of which runs a fret composed of
repetition of the ''crux ansata-'' The
| cover border is similar. and the handle
of the cover represents a horned lizard.
| 1t is curious to notice the oxidation of
| the body to this brazier, in comparison
with that of the sides. The two de-
grees are very different, but they will
| remain just at the stage the artists in
| tended, barring accidents The sides
| between the panels each display five
beautiful gold flowers, with leaves and
vines. Altogether, this is one OF the
most interesting pieces in this collec
| ton
As an extraordinary example of the
| pains taken in iron working there may
here be mentioned a knife-handle
| (Sodzuka) in which horse is repre-
scented seen from behind on a surface
not three-quarters of an inch wide, the
whole figure being not two inches in
height. The foreshortening of this
figure is simply marvellous, and there is
nothing but iron in it except a dot of
! gold for the eye of the horse. The
workmanship is of great skill and
grace. A striking Chinese piece is a
bronze vase, of very graceful shape,
with eight deep swells outward; on two
opposing swells curious cat-like ami
mails with names and exaggerated tails
serve for handles. The vase Is set upon
teak bases. A square frepot whose
cover has been lost has rich designs on
the sides A little fire-pot in light yell
low bronze has a peculiarly handsome
design in the open-wOrk cover and the
sides of cone-shaped fruit and leaves
like the bay tree. There is a teapot in
Shibuichi which is full of effective
grace An incense burner which rests
on beautiful teak base in the shape of
a leaf is adorned on the top with a
creature which is something like a dog,
but has hoofs and a head that looks like
an aIligator's. The japanese artists
Just let their fancies work when 1t
came to details, and many of the most
attractive pieces in the Smith collec-
ton seem to testify chiefly to the freak
ish fancy of the artist-although with
out knowing to the bottom the mingled
theogony of Japan, and all its legends,
one cannot surely express an opinion
in these matters
A number of figures of much interest
are also included, One of these Is I'M
doubtedly of Hindoo origin, represent
lug some person OF the Hindoo pantheon
This is a figure half reclining on the
right arm, the left arm resting on the
left knee and a curious. half-mocking
expression in the open mouth This Is
in very dark bronze, the effect of age
A very odd bit in rich yellow bronze
shows grotesque person, bent on his
left knee. endeavoring with much strain
| to lift upon his shoulders heavily
laden sack which lies behind him. The
expression on the face is funny ia a
notable degree; his mouth is wide open.
! showing his teeth, his eyes are fairly
starting, his bushy eyebrows and the
chin-tuft which forms his only whiskers,
are all alike coutributive TO the humor
| istic effect. Another of these little fig
ures Is the god 'sBishmon," In light
| bronze of a brassy tinge; he is all
wrapped in a mantle, thrown over his
head; his wide mouth, his furry eye
brows. his wrinkled countenance, CON-
| biue TO show him a very wise individual.
But the most curious of all is fat-faced
fellow with both hands propped under
his chin. who is simply tied up in
blanket done in a double knot on his
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