What is a Japanese Meiji period okimono?

An okimono is a Japanese decorative sculpture created during the Meiji period (18681912) for static display in traditional alcoves, studies, or interior spaces.

What materials are typically used in mixed-metal okimono sculptures?

Meiji period okimono frequently combine cast bronze with precious metal inlays, such as gold, silver, copper, and specialized alloys like shakudo and shibuichi.

How can one identify authentic Japanese metalwork from the Meiji era?

Authentic pieces feature detailed cold-carving, finely textured fur or drapery, delicate metal inlay, and often carry an engraved or cast maker mark near the base.

How can a Japanese bronze okimono be styled in modern interiors?

Position the sculpture on an executive desk, library bookshelf, or dark wooden sideboard to serve as an intellectual focal point within a room.

How should a mixed-metal bronze okimono be cleaned and preserved?

Dust gently using a soft microfibre cloth or horsehair brush, avoiding liquid polishes or chemical solvents that could damage original patination and metal inlay.

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A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

Name: A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1233103
Price: 24950 GBP
Availability: InStock

19th century

For Sale by Sandbanks Antiques

Description

A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE MEIJI PERIOD MIXED-METAL ANTHROPOMORPHIC SCHOLAR MONKEY OKIMONO

Japan, Circa 1880–1900

This monumental and extraordinarily detailed mixed-metal bronze okimono represents the absolute pinnacle of late 19th-century Japanese sculptural virtuosity. Executed at the height of the Meiji period, the piece depicts an anthropomorphic monkey rendered in the guise of an antiquary or scholar, seated in rapt, scholarly concentration upon an oval plinth.

The casting exhibits a masterclass in differential chemical patination and meticulous hand-chasing. The body, limbs, and flowing garments are treated with a deep, rich dark-brown-to-black patination featuring fine, hair-by-hair hand-chased texturing. In striking contrast, the bare skin areas—the expressive muzzle, ears, and remarkably realistic, articulated hands and feet—are polished to a warm, reddish-ochre bronze tone that realistically simulates organic flesh, capturing every crease, knuckle, and fingernail with astonishing precision.

What the Monkey Holds and Why

With its right hand, the scholar-ape delicately adjusts a pair of fine-wire spectacles fitted with transparent crystal lenses, peering intently at a miniature object held firmly within its cupped hands.

The Object: The monkey is examining a tiny, intricately carved netsuke-like figural study.

The Narrative Significance: In traditional Japanese culture, the monkey was frequently used in art to playfully mimic human behavior—in this case, parodying the elite world of Japanese and Western art collectors, connoisseurs, and antiquarians. Wearing spectacles to magnify his view and holding a miniature netsuke up for close inspection, the scholar-ape is deeply engaged in the serious pursuit of connoisseurship, evaluating the quality, carving, and authenticity of a work of art just as a human collector would.

Attire and Inlay

Draped across its shoulders is a short wrap-vest richly decorated via the meticulous nunome-zogan technique, where high-purity gold foil is hammered into cross-hatched channels to depict an expansive and naturalistic cascade of drifting autumn maple leaves (momiji) of varying orientations. The garment is secured at the back collar by a prominent, highly polished solid-gold-toned peach-form toggle—a classic East Asian symbol of longevity and immortality—and tied at the front with a cord sash. Suspended directly from the sash is a multi-tiered inro case accented with a crisp gold-inlaid maple leaf and secured by a sliding spherical metal ojime bead.

The Plinth and Accoutrements

The heavy, substantial oval base features a textured, stippled top surface simulating a woven rush mat or scholar’s stone table. It is flanked by quintessential literary implements: a thick, string-bound stitched manuscript book on the right and a folded ritual hand-rule or fan accented with gold on the left. The vertical border of the plinth is encircled by a continuous low-relief cast frieze depicting archaic-style scrolling dragons and mythical beasts, grounding the sculpture with imperial weight and presence.

Comparative Literature & Provenance

This highly sophisticated model belongs to an elite group of Meiji-period bronze okimono produced by top-tier Tokyo or Kyoto workshops. A related variant of this model has been handled and sold at Bonhams, London, while similar examples have featured in premier specialist inventories, underscoring the high institutional desirability and recognition of this sculptural subject among advanced international collectors.

Dimensions & Condition

Height: 26 cm approx.

Width: 25.5 cm approx.

Condition: Exceptional museum grade. All fragile, highly vulnerable original appendages—including the wire spectacles, hanging inro, and delicate surface inlays—remain entirely intact and stable.

Provenance:

The G S. May Esquire Private Collection, London - 2008

New York, Manhattan Private Collection, 1950 - 2008

Physical Dimensions

Height

26cm (10.24")

Width

25.5cm (10.04")

Declaration

Sandbanks Antiques has dated this Meiji Bronze Monkey Okimono to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1233103

Description

A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE MEIJI PERIOD MIXED-METAL ANTHROPOMORPHIC SCHOLAR MONKEY OKIMONO

Japan, Circa 1880–1900

“

This monumental and extraordinarily detailed mixed-metal bronze okimono represents the absolute pinnacle of late 19th-century Japanese sculptural virtuosity.

Sandbanks Antiques

Executed at the height of the Meiji period, the piece depicts an anthropomorphic monkey rendered in the guise of an antiquary or scholar, seated in rapt, scholarly concentration upon an oval plinth.

fig 1. A dark bronze Japanese okimono sculpture depicting an anthropomorphic monkey wearing spectacles, seated with a book and inro. — fig 1. A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

The casting exhibits a masterclass in differential chemical patination and meticulous hand-chasing. The body, limbs, and flowing garments are treated with a deep, rich dark-brown-to-black patination featuring fine, hair-by-hair hand-chased texturing. In striking contrast, the bare skin areas—the expressive muzzle, ears, and remarkably realistic, articulated hands and feet—are polished to a warm, reddish-ochre bronze tone that realistically simulates organic flesh, capturing every crease, knuckle, and fingernail with astonishing precision.

fig 2. A dark bronze Japanese okimono sculpture depicting an anthropomorphic monkey wearing spectacles, seated with a book and inro. — fig 2. A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

What the Monkey Holds and Why

With its right hand, the scholar-ape delicately adjusts a pair of fine-wire spectacles fitted with transparent crystal lenses, peering intently at a miniature object held firmly within its cupped hands.

fig 3. A dark bronze Japanese okimono sculpture depicting an anthropomorphic monkey wearing spectacles, seated with a book and inro. — fig 3. A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

The Object: The monkey is examining a tiny, intricately carved netsuke-like figural study.

The Narrative Significance: In traditional Japanese culture, the monkey was frequently used in art to playfully mimic human behavior—in this case, parodying the elite world of Japanese and Western art collectors, connoisseurs, and antiquarians. Wearing spectacles to magnify his view and holding a miniature netsuke up for close inspection, the scholar-ape is deeply engaged in the serious pursuit of connoisseurship, evaluating the quality, carving, and authenticity of a work of art just as a human collector would.

fig 4. A dark bronze Japanese okimono sculpture depicting an anthropomorphic monkey wearing spectacles, seated with a book and inro. — fig 4. A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

Attire and Inlay

Draped across its shoulders is a short wrap-vest richly decorated via the meticulous nunome-zogan technique, where high-purity gold foil is hammered into cross-hatched channels to depict an expansive and naturalistic cascade of drifting autumn maple leaves (momiji) of varying orientations. The garment is secured at the back collar by a prominent, highly polished solid-gold-toned peach-form toggle—a classic East Asian symbol of longevity and immortality—and tied at the front with a cord sash. Suspended directly from the sash is a multi-tiered inro case accented with a crisp gold-inlaid maple leaf and secured by a sliding spherical metal ojime bead.

fig 5. A dark bronze Japanese okimono sculpture depicting an anthropomorphic monkey wearing spectacles, seated with a book and inro. — fig 5. A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

The Plinth and Accoutrements

The heavy, substantial oval base features a textured, stippled top surface simulating a woven rush mat or scholar’s stone table. It is flanked by quintessential literary implements: a thick, string-bound stitched manuscript book on the right and a folded ritual hand-rule or fan accented with gold on the left. The vertical border of the plinth is encircled by a continuous low-relief cast frieze depicting archaic-style scrolling dragons and mythical beasts, grounding the sculpture with imperial weight and presence.

fig 6. A dark bronze Japanese okimono sculpture depicting an anthropomorphic monkey wearing spectacles, seated with a book and inro. — fig 6. A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

Comparative Literature & Provenance

This highly sophisticated model belongs to an elite group of Meiji-period bronze okimono produced by top-tier Tokyo or Kyoto workshops. A related variant of this model has been handled and sold at Bonhams, London, while similar examples have featured in premier specialist inventories, underscoring the high institutional desirability and recognition of this sculptural subject among advanced international collectors.

fig 7. A dark bronze Japanese okimono sculpture depicting an anthropomorphic monkey wearing spectacles, seated with a book and inro. — fig 7. A Magnificent and Rare Meiji Period Mixed-metal Anthropomorphic Scholar Monkey Okimono Japan, Circa 1880–1900

Dimensions & Condition

Height: 26 cm approx.

Width: 25.5 cm approx.

Condition: Exceptional museum grade. All fragile, highly vulnerable original appendages—including the wire spectacles, hanging inro, and delicate surface inlays—remain entirely intact and stable.

Provenance:

The G S. May Esquire Private Collection, London - 2008

New York, Manhattan Private Collection, 1950 - 2008