By Watanabe Shiho (born 1894-1972), signed ShihoJapan, Tokyo, first half of 20th centuryVery finely and naturalistically cast as a seated hare raising one paw. Note the sparse hairwork rendered with fine incision work. Signed underneath SHIHO.HEIGHT 19.3 cmWEIGHT 5,070 gCondition: Excellent condition with typical associated wear, some light surface scratches.Provenance: English private collection, purchased at Christie’s London on 22nd April 2008, lot 646.Watanabe Shiho (1894-1972) studied metal casting under Oshima Joun at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music), where he later also became a professor. Prior to the Pacific War, he exhibited frequently at the government-sponsored Teiten and Shin-Bunten exhibitions. His work is in the collections of the Tokyo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art.The present hare bears an uncanny resemblance to the famous painting of a hare by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).