A LARGE INLAID BRONZE VASE WITH SPARROWSBy Kazumasa and Hidemisu Kansei, signed Kazumasa and sealed Hidemitsu KanseiJapan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)Well cast, the bulbous body rising from a spreading foot to a tall, gently waisted neck with a petal-lobed trumpet mouth. The front applied in high relief with three sparrows with gold-inlaid eyes, two of them in flight above lotus leaves and buds along with the remains of an old mushroom-covered tree trunk, scattered bamboo leaves, and a tattered woven bamboo net filled with grains, all within a subtly modeled and incised stream, the back similarly decorated with a lotus leaf and bamboo. The bronze patinated to a warm copper-brown tone. The base signed ISSEI above the seal HIDEMITSU KANSEI.HEIGHT 54 cmWEIGHT 6,778 gCondition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities, few minuscule nicks, the applied decoration partly with green verdigris.Provenance: French private collection.