Antique Japanese Meiji Bronze Sculpture of Man Making Sake by Sano Takachika

This delightful old bronze Japanese sculpture depicts a gentleman making sake.  It measures 25" tall, 16" wide and 14" deep (63.5 cm by 40.6 cm by 35.6 cm).  It carries the signature of Sano Takachika and dates from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century.  Sano Takachika is known to have worked for the Imperial family, and has many works still held in the Imperial Collections of Japan.  The Khalili collection contains a work by the sculptor which is included in the catalog that accompanied the 1999 U.S. tour, "Splendors of Meiji, Treasures of Imperial Japan, Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection".  That work is also included in the book, "The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art, Metalwork Part II, by Takara.  (Known primarily for its exceptional collection of Islamic art, the Khalili Family Trust, under the direction of Nasser D. Khalili, since 1970 has assembled one of the largest and most prestigious collections of Japanese Meiji period decorative art in the world.)  Takachika's sculpture has appeared periodically at major auction.  In London on November 15, 2001, Sotheby's sold a bronze sculpture of a hawk by Takachika, measuring 28.75" (73 cm), in lot 568 for 13,512 BP ($18,112).  (Our price is firm.)