By Miyabe Atsuyoshi for the Inoue Company, signed Atsuyoshi with kakihan and sealed Inoue
Japan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)

The slender, ovoid body rising from a gently spreading foot to a short, waisted neck with a lipped rim, finely worked in silver, suaka, and bronze takazogan to depict a monkey seated on a gnarled branch of a wisteria tree with trailing vines, thick foliage, and beautiful blossoms. Signed to the side ATSUYOSHI with a kakihan, the base with a seal INOUE.

HEIGHT 19 cm
WEIGHT 916 g

Condition: Good condition with minor wear, few nicks, and small dings.

Miyabe Atsuyoshi, art name Ikkodo, is recorded in Wakayama Takeshi, Kinko Jiten (Dictionary of Metalworkers), Tokyo, Token Shunju Shinbunsha, 1999, p. 1141, as being a maker of sword fittings and a pupil of Shinoyama Tokuoki (1813-1891), active in Kyoto during the late Edo period and early Meiji era.

Auction comparison:
Compare a pair of related bronze vases depicting a similar subject by the same artist, dated to the Meiji period, each 26 cm high, at Christie's, 18 May 2012, London, lot 32 (sold for GBP 37,250).