Figure 19th century

Curator: Here we have an exquisite 19th-century Japanese sculpture, simply titled "Figure," and attributed to Kawamoto Hansuke IV. The Met's collection information suggests it incorporates both ceramic and wood. Editor: It’s smaller than I imagined. Seeing it in person, I’m immediately drawn to the contrast between the dark, almost melancholic, ox, and the light, relaxed figure reclining on its back. There’s an intimacy here, a stillness. Curator: The dichotomy of materials speaks volumes. We have the coarse, earthy weight of the ceramic forming the ox, symbolic, perhaps, of the labor it represents. In contrast, the figure and accessories rendered in delicate wood reflect craft skill and detail, embodying both high art and daily functionality. The work raises questions of consumption and status, I think. Editor: I agree, the intersection of labor and leisure is certainly present. But the choice to portray what seems to be a figure sleeping is also interesting in terms of social commentary. In Japan, then and now, the work ethic is almost mythical, so is the artist making a statement about burnout, perhaps? It also hints at a social narrative involving rest or even escapism, against the backdrop of agrarian or perhaps even increasingly industrial work. Curator: And consider the process – the careful sculpting, the firing of the ceramic, the carving of the wood. There was division of labor here too: sourcing the materials, the artistry, the patronage which afforded its existence. How many hands shaped this? Editor: Right, who exactly benefits from the image and who might be excluded or even harmed in its representation? What does it mean to create and possess art about labor? It makes one think of depictions of the "noble savage," through colonial eyes, and how those types of depictions have impacted societies in ways that perpetuate inequalities. Curator: Placing the work within that context is key; to go beyond its face value, that intimate scene, to the societal relationships that birthed it. I appreciate how this tiny piece prompts us to consider larger forces at play in both the 19th century, and even now. Editor: Agreed, it is an engagement with this single artwork that invites questioning our presumptions and considering varied interpretations, based on labor and personhood in both art production and lived reality.