What's New Pussycat?

[Ford Hallam]

For those of you who don't Instagram or facebook here are a few images of a piece I recently completed. It's a commission thus signed on the reverse.

 

Not exactly classical Edo period in style the composition is loosely based on a contemporary Chinese ink painting.

 

It's made of 120 year old finely wrought iron, the eyes are yellow gold and shakudo and the nose is pink gold. Pink gold only entered the Japanese metalworking tradition, presumably from Europe, around 1910-1915, so it's not see in tosogu but is often seen in Meiji period export objets d'art.

 

[Greg F]

Wow Ford amazing work indeed! The 4th photo down is so alive and real looking. Such fine work that im sure the owner will never want to part with. Well done and thanks for sharing.

 

Greg

 

Ps. Each angle seems to have a slight different expression and all so real.

[ROKUJURO]

A wonderful TSUBA! The tiger looks very peaceful and friendly! Again marvelous work!

[John A Stuart]

The head really pops, without being cumbersome. John

[paulb]

Hi Ford

I absolutely love it but am finding it hard to explain exactly why. I think the uncontrived and naturally rough appearance of the iron with the tiger appearing to emerge from it as a composition is fantastic and the finish and patina first class. It seems to hit the senses at a basic level and creates an emotional rather than logical response (like most high art does!)

Well done and thank you for sharing

Paul

[Henry Wilson]

Excellent. What everyone says above plus the whiskers are so finely done. They look real.

 

Do you have more pictures of the reverse side? Are there mountains on the left?

[zanilu]

     

[Bazza]

Gobsmacked...

 

BaZZa.

[Stephen]

Ive enjoyed this from its first light on FB, The mei guys the Mei, ever see one more confident and in command? as lovely as the puddy cat!

[Ford Hallam]

Thank you gentlemen, your appreciation is massively encouraging.

[raaay]

Ford

 

As Paul says cant explain in words how it speaks to me , but just love the movement , wow

[Brian]

Wow.


It has an organic feel I can't explain. And those stripes and whiskers.......wow again.

[Curran]

21st Century Natsuo.

 

Ford, I mean that as a sincere compliment. You are really stretching the boundaries of this artform, in a good way.

Part of me would like to see you do a small Bansky design [love or hate his/their work, but perfect for recognizable play] on a tsuba, and have it slipped into a museum, then await the reaction.

If anyone could pull it off, it would be you.

 

Back to the main point- a very interesting pussycat. Love how you achieved the stripes on the back.

[Brian]

Nicky's comment after looking at the pics for a while: "Why does anyone else bother?..."

[Ford Hallam]

Curran, thank you kindly. It helps to have an understanding and appreciative audience :-) I'll keep on keeping on then.

 

I do have some subversive ideas that may yet come to life

 

Brian, Nicky's comment really made me grin :-)

 

and Cheers, Ray.

[Jussi Ekholm]

I have to say the same thing as Brian said, those whiskers... I can't wrap my head around how good they look, of course the whole tsuba is very nice but that detail just gets my attention every time I look it.

[vajo]

Sweet looking leopard Ford. Well done.

[Brian]

Leopard??

Clearly you aren't from Africa
Nice stripes on that....leopard.

[vajo]

It doesn't look like a tiger. I don't think that Ford had make a mistake.

[Stephen]

[vajo]

A tigers face looks totaly different (for me)

 

 

But i will not argue. If you see a tiger than it is a tiger

 

[Andi B.]

...the body has stripes and it's not a Zebra => Tiger!

 

And I can also see the tigers 'collar' - for me it's clear. Nice tsuba!

 

(I like the old fashioned tigers a lot, e.g. this style:https://www.trocadero.com/stores/thekura/items/1098500/catphoto.jpg)

[Valric]

Absolutely stunning work. The details in the face, and the seemless integration of the body in the iron is simply marvelous!

[Tanto54]

The Japanese Tiger face "debate" is nothing new.  It has been raised and (I believe) settled long ago with respect to several other Japanese art forms.  For example, netsuke and kakijiku (scroll paintings).  Japan did not have Tigers, so many early Japanese viewed them as mythical like the dragon.  The only encounter that an early Japanese artist would have had with a tiger was on imported Chinese art or in accounts of Tigers or skins coming back from the early campaigns into Korean.  I have seen Japanese paintings where a man is posing, crouched and draped with a tiger skin, while a Japanese artist uses him as the model for his Tiger painting.  Japan did have cats, and many of the artists used them as a model or formed their impressions of what a Tiger would look like from the combination of a tiger skin and the body/face of a house cat.  A cat has more of a Leopard's head than a Tiger's.  The scholars in certain other art forms (e.g., netsuke) have called this a "reptilian" face.  For these reasons, in Japanese art, the Tiger is often depicted with the more "reptilian" face.  In fact, one kantei point for age of a Tiger art item is whether it has a "reptilian" face (older or real) or a more realistic Tiger face (usually meaning Taisho or newer...)  With Ford's skill, I'd guess that he is simply following the Japanese tradition.

 

[Stephen]

for the record this was the look Ford san was doing in my eye

[Greg F]

It just wouldnt have the old Japanese feel at all if it looked like typical tiger face. Ford has captured what artists of old Japan were going for completely i believe. Brilliantly done Ford.

 

Greg

[Yoshimichi]

Incredible workmanship! An inspiring work of art. Well done. 

Regards,

Bill E. Sheehan (Yoshimichi)