Бронзові окімоно доби Мейдзі в музейних колекціях України: компанія Міяо

Abstract

The study is focused on a bronze sculpture of small forms (okimono) of the Meiji era, in particular, art pieces that came to Europe under the Miyao brand, from the collections of the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Museum of Art, Lviv National Art Gallery, Feldman Family Museum (Kharkiv). The article highlights the historiographical and terminological aspects of the research topic, outlines the principles of formation of the source base, attribution, and examination of the works; the positions of prominent scientists on the artistic assessment of bronze okimono are determined. The results of the study are a reconstructed context of the formation of a new type of bronze sculpture, highlighting the transformations that took place during the Meiji reforms in the organization of the artist’s work and aesthetic landmarks; the typology of bronze sculpture and the range of main plots are determined (characters of Shinto and Buddhist mythology, Taoist hermits, heroes of folk tales, plots from the life of peasants, aristocrats, bureaucrats). In the process of studying the collections, the attribution of a group of works, the analysis of their figurative and content structure and stylistic and technological component, the typology of signatures have been carried out. Miyao’s products have been found to be the result of the loss of the domestic market and reorientation of exports: the special role of metal products in international exhibitions, the influence of the European art system, and its organic combination with traditional Japanese crafts have been emphasized. It is shown that on such grounds as increased decorativeness, the use of elements of clothing and other details identified as Chinese, a significant part of Miyao art pieces can be considered as a modern (oriental) version of Chinoiserie, or a model of Oriental Orientalism. It is proved that bronze sculpture of small forms in artistic and technological senses is worthily represented in museum collections of Ukraine, demonstrates a variety of approaches and models, typologically can relate to both applied art and decorative sculpture of small forms. The fact of preservation of the tendency to imitate Miyao’s style among the masters of the late 19th century and early 21st century has been revealed.