As part of our Japanese works of art collection we are delighted to offer this exceptionally rare Meiji period 1868-1912 iron and mixed metal panel by the highly important early Meiji period artist Hagiya Katsuhira (1804-1886) his art name Seiroken,  the ironwork panel housed within its original hardwood frame depicts the oft used but nonetheless charming subject of birds upon a branch of native flora, this particular early Meiji period panel demonstrates all the skills of a leading Mito school metalworker more used to making tsuba and sword fittings for the shogunate and now adapting his unique skills to satisfy the emerging western market, the naive charm and inspiration for this study is probably from an earlier Japanese or even Chinese painting, artists with such breathtaking metalworking skills as Katsuhira could simply replace an artists paintbrush with a chisel and produce staggering quality works of art, Katsuhira would have been very adept working with such soft alloys as gold...