An Articulated Iron Model of a Dragon, Japan, 19th Century

Christie's New York, 22 September 2005, lot 242;

Where acquired by Aso O. Tavitian.

Japanese armour is characterized by its flexibility, made from numerous small, lacquered iron plates laced together with silk or leather braid to maximize freedom of movement. This design inspired the term ‘jizai’, which can be translated as ‘to do at will’, to refer to the articulated ornaments known as jizai okimono produced during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Often modelled in the form of dragons, shellfish, snakes or insects, whose robust and flexible scales, shells or exoskeletons mirror that of Japanese armour, these fully articulated objects were forged with naturalistic and exacting detail. After the abolition of the samurai in the late 1870s, many armorers turned to the creation of these articulated figures for display.