BRONZE HARE – MEIJI
Référence : 2025-1352
Bronze sculpture with a brown patina that represents a hare lying down with an arched back. Its head and several other details are treated with great realism, from the texture of its fur to the small cracks inside of its hears, everything remind us of the sense of detail guiding Japanese craftmanship in its work. The hare is a very appreciated animal in Japan. It is celebrated on the 15thday of the 8thmonth of the lunar calendar (September October) during the “Tskukimi” feast.When a god decided to get down on Earth using its human form, he was starving. So he went in the forest to see how animals hunted and foraged to eat. All the creatures went to him and gave him food. The monkey climbed to a tree and gifted him fruits. The bear caught a few fish in the river. Even the birds found insects and worms.
Only the hare was sorry, he did have a gift. All the other animals of the forest laughed at him. So, when the fire was ready to cook dinner, the hare jumped in the flames, gifting its own flesh as a sacrifice. The god, deeply moved by this gesture decided to bring the hare back to life and to send him to the moon as a reward. Since then, Japanese can see an hare drawn on the moon when its bright and full.
Japan –Meiji era (1868-1912)Height: 7 cm –width:7 cm -length: 10 cm
