Keywords: Ishikawa Komei - Vase with the Warrior Yoshitsune - Walters 711080.jpg This vase was formed from a segment of a large elephant tusk carved in very high relief and set into a base of bronze and silver The scene is from the life of Minamoto Yoshitsune 1159-1189 who is depicted on horseback surrounded by his loyal retainers They all look out toward the sea as a storm rages against them Gusts of wind are carved into the ivory above while the surging water is depicted in the metal base below Mounted on a horse the 12th-century warrior Yoshitsune spurned by his brother- for whom Yoshitsune's military prowess had secured the rule of Japan- prepared to leave the country by sea But the stormy weather prevents his departure The vase is said to have been commissioned by the Japanese government in a period when the carvers of ivory netsuke were faced with the loss of a market due to the adoption of Western dress ca 1880 Meiji carved ivory in high relief with a silver liner copper alloy base and gold cm 53 6 accession number 71 1080 34659 Japanese Delegation to the Centennial Exhibition Philadelphia 1876 Egyptian sector William T Walters Baltimore before 1896 by purchase Henry Walters city Baltimore Walters Art Museum 1931 by bequest Acquired by William T Walters before 1896 Signature Komei saku Komei in Centennial Exhibition Philadelphia Memorial Hall Philadelphia Philadelphia 1876 place of origin Tokyo Japan PD-old-auto 1913 Art of Japan in the Walters Art Museum Ishikawa Komei Media contributed by the Walters Art Museum needs category review Ivory sculptures in Japan |