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Subject:Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Sat, Jun 30, 2012 IP: 96.251.145.50
Hello, and thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions. I have a bronze elephant from the early 1900s and it has a maker or artist mark on its belly that I'm unsure of whether it is Japanese or Chinese. The little elephant measures just a few inches tall. I'm really uncertain where to go to translate the kanji. Cheers, Paul



Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Sun, Jul 01, 2012 IP: 70.36.62.72
Please show a picture of the elephant
Thanks
Ernest

Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Mon, Jul 02, 2012 IP: 96.251.145.50
here it is.



Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Mon, Jul 02, 2012 IP: 91.176.166.24
The seal reads 'Joko'; probably the seal of a Japanese metalworker Tsukahara Joko who was active during the Taisho period (1912-26).

Guy.

Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Tue, Jul 03, 2012 IP: 84.196.53.131
Definitely Japanese but I should date it slightly earlier than Taisho - rather late Meiji 1890-1910.

Guy.

Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Tue, Jul 03, 2012 IP: 98.82.78.181
If it is Chinese, the mark would read down in Mandarin as 'Jing Guang' (¨Ê¥ú - Big5 encoding). If Japanese, it might be pronounced 'Kyomitsu'.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Tue, Jul 03, 2012 IP: 96.251.145.50
Thank you all so much for your assistance. Here are two possibles (not clear which the top kanji is).



Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Tue, Jul 03, 2012 IP: 121.74.143.165
The elephant is Japanese and is on eBay
#390435917583

My links don't seem to work, but try this. Hopefully Bill can fix it it doesn't.
Cheers
Tony

URL Title :Japanese Elephant


Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Wed, Jul 04, 2012 IP: 96.251.145.50
So, helps us out Tony. What do you make of the mark? Who made it? And is it in the same league as those beautiful bronzes you offer in ebay?

Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Wed, Jul 04, 2012 IP: 121.74.143.165
Hi Paul,
I actually found this elephant on eBay a couple of days previously, and left a last minute esnipe bid because of its rarity. I have since withdrawn the bid and those readers interested can fight over it.
It is not of the best quality, but the advertising token attached is very unusual. In future I would suggest that if you find an item of interest on eBay, that you don't publicise the fact.
Good luck to those bidding.
Regards
Tony

Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Thu, Jul 05, 2012 IP: 96.251.145.50
Hi Tony,

Your advice is sound, but it was not I who publicized that the piece was on eBay.

Paul

Subject:Re: Bronze elephant - Japanese or Chinese?
Posted By: Thu, Jul 19, 2012 IP: 74.100.23.104
Managed to take some better images of this little beast, who has now traveled back to Redlands. Thanks again for the assistance provided.







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