Pair of vases; Japan, Meiji period, 19th century.

Pair of vases; Japan, Meiji period, nineteenth century.
Patinated bronze.
Slightly damaged.
Measurements: 45,5 x 21 x 15 cm.
Pair of Japanese vases made entirely in bronze, worked in relief with the figures of birds fluttering among the flowers. Japanese bronze production includes various types of "okimono" (decorative pieces, usually sculptures, intended to be displayed in the "tokonoma" of the house), such as horses or dragons, as well as censers and bowls, for both ritual and ornamental use. On numerous occasions they included figures of Shinto or Buddhist divinities. Most of these pieces were produced during the Edo (1603-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) eras, and some of them were decorated with other materials, such as gold and copper. This type of vases or vases were used in the altars of the temples, thus being objects of great value that only part of the aristocracy could afford.