Product Description
A finely crafted Japanese Meiji period bronze and copper koi fish inkwell featuring intricate hand-chased detail and beautiful natural patina. This charming piece includes its original glass liner and bears a seal mark inside the hinged head (note: hinge is broken). Measuring approximately 13cm long by 6cm high, the inkwell captures the grace and symbolism of the koi — a traditional emblem of perseverance, strength, and transformation in Japanese art.
Such pieces were highly prized in the late 19th century as part of Japan’s export art movement, blending fine metalwork with functional design. It would have once adorned a scholar’s or collector’s desk, serving both as a symbol of refinement and as a conversation piece. Despite its minor imperfection, this inkwell remains an exquisite representation of Meiji artistry.
If This Piece Could Talk it would speak of ink-stained letters and elegant calligraphy brushed across parchment in the flicker of lamplight. Once gracing the desk of a scholar, it embodied patience and wisdom, its koi form symbolising endurance through life's currents. The broken hinge tells of time’s gentle wear, yet its spirit remains unbroken — a small but enduring witness to art, thought, and the flow of history.