MATERIAL: Silver
DIMENSIONS: 7 X 10 inches (no frame)
13 X 15 1/2 inches (with frames)
CONDITION: Very good shape for the age,
NOTES: Very rare and original; the first examples I've owned of these rare presentation portraits.
ITEM ID: 846
Portrait Set of Emperor & Empress Meiji (#1)
DATE
Decade: 1890s
Century: 19th (1801-1900)
Imperial Japanese silver Repousse presentation portrait set of the Emperor and Empress Meiji, by Unno Bisei. Each portrait has wood frames. This set was presented as a gift by the Emperor and Empress Meiji to Japanese noble families. The Imperial crest (“mon”) is at the top of each frame. On the back of the frames there are papers which translate: “Meiji Tenno Son Kei” (Respected Figure of the Emperor Meiji), and the artist’s name with red seals.
ARTISTS
Name: Unno Bisei
Type: Artist
Artists Dates: 1864-1919
Artist Information: Bisei was a renowned silver artisan who held the title of Imperial Household Artist. Bisei exhibited at the Exposition Universelle (Paris World Exposition of 1890) and contributed to the standard work of Western silversmiths, H. Wilson, Silversmith & Jeweler, Pitman, 1902, London.
Asia/Africa
This collection houses art and artifacts from China, Ethiopia, India and Japan.
