Hibachi. Edo era Japan, 18th century.

Hibachi. Edo era Japan, 18th century.
Bronze, with mother-of-pearl applications.
Measurements: 55 x 23 x 37 cm.

This large format hibachi combines domestic functionality and aesthetic sensibility typical of the Japanese refinement of the Edo period. Its body presents an organic modeling, of undulating contours and almost stony appearance, evoking natural forms eroded by time, in tune with the wabi-sabi taste for the irregular and suggestive.

The surface, with a rich dark patina and warm veins, is enlivened with delicate mother-of-pearl inlays in the shape of birds, providing luminous sparkles and a subtle poetic counterpoint. Conceived as a brazier, but also as an object of prestige, the monumentality of its proportions and the quality of its execution place it among the most sophisticated productions of Edo metalwork, destined for cultured and ceremonial interiors.