A JAPANESE BRONZE OKIMONO OF A PUPPY BY TAKAHASHI RYOUN MEIJI OR TAISHO ERA, 19TH OR 20TH CENTURY The plump dog depicted seated on its haunches, with its head slightly turned to the left, a two-character mark underneath for Ryoun, 15cm. Ryoun was a famous bronze artist living in Tokyo at the turn of the century. He was a special member of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, and he exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, where he received several awards for the quality of his artworks. Provenance: an English private collection, Somerset, purchased in Japan.