Bust
1865–83
Medium
Porcelain
Dimensions
8 7/8 x 8 1/2 in. (22.5 x 21.6 cm)
Classification
Bust
Culture
Japanese
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
Accession Number
83.2.275
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite porcelain bust by Japanese artist Miyagawa Kozan, between 1865 and1883, captures the poised likeness of a man in a compact yet commanding form measuring 8⅞ × 8½ inches. As a rare sculptural portrait in porcelain, showcases the medium's versatility—porcelain's smooth, luminous surface allowed for intricate modeling of facial features, drapery, and subtle expressions, blending Eastern ceramic traditions with emerging Western influences during Japan's transformative Meiji era. Kozan's work emerged amid Japan's rapid modernization post-1868, when artisans like him produced high-qua...