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Received this statue from our grandmother. Can anyone tell us anything about it--the artist, how old it is, what the stamp says, or if it is of any value?? We believe it's bronze, told that it's 100 years old and might be Japanese. Any information would be appreciated.

It's a Japanese Meiji Period Tokyo School bronze, c1890s. There's an expert on the forum named Guy who may be able to help you with the maker's mark, but there were countless Japanese bronze artists at that time, so the maker usually isn't important (but on rare occasion it can be). I have 8 different Tokyo School bronzes and they all have different makers. If you repost this with a title "Japanese Bronze - Help with Maker's Mark?" you might get Guy's attention.

As far as value goes, it can be in the thousands of dollars (U.S.), but that depends on size and condition. This one looks to have a crack on the wrist, which could be a blowout during firing, which would make this a rejected piece that a worker in the studio might have kept for themself. If so, the value is decreased, but because it happened during manufacture it's not decreased as much as damage caused by breakage. If you check eBay for similar quality pieces many are listed around $3,000, but they're not selling for that much (some listings have been around for years). The ones that sell usually go for $1,000 to $2,000, but again, that will depend on size and condition.

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