{"product_id":"chat-en-racine-sculptee-japon-xixe-siecle-ou-anterieur","title":"Carved cat root, Japan, 19th century or earlier","description":"\u003ch2\u003eCat carved in root\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eJapan, 19th century or earlier\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA root sculpture depicting a cat, rendered in a crouched position where the animal appears to be seated on its hindquarters, with its paws folded and head raised. The general form retains a strong dependence on the original material: the body stretches according to the natural movement of the root, while the head, paws, and base have undergone more precise cutting and shaping. The eyes, nose, and outline of the limbs are sufficient to make the animal recognizable, without erasing the primary nature of the material. The work now rests on a custom-made base, with the chamfered base allowing the sculpture to be stabilized in this presentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSculpture dimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 32 × 30 × 13 cm. \u003cstrong\u003eHeight with base:\u003c\/strong\u003e 36 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe interest of this piece lies precisely in the economy of means in its shaping. It is not about completely transforming the root into an animal, but about recognizing an already latent animal presence in the material, and then making it legible through minimal intervention. This logic perfectly aligns with the Japanese concept of \u003cem\u003emitate\u003c\/em\u003e: not literal copying, but showing one thing through another, or seeing in a natural form the equivalent of an image.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is in this sense that such carved roots should be understood as learned found objects. A 19th-century Japanese connoisseur would have perfectly grasped its logic, based on suggestion, analogy, and a poetic reading of natural forms. In contrast, a 19th-century Western eye, more attached to the idea of a fully shaped, finished, and demonstrative sculpture, would have had more difficulty in reading a work that leaves such a significant part to nature. This discrepancy explains why today these objects can seem almost modern, when they are primarily rooted in a different culture of perception.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne might add that the 20th century renewed the way these raw or barely guided forms are appreciated. The rediscovery of Mokujiki by Yanagi Sōetsu helped to valorize direct, unpolished sculptures with a non-academic power. But this point remains secondary here. What matters most is the logic of choice, recognition, and measured accentuation that gives natural material the force of an image.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThus, this sculpture should not be presented as an abstraction ahead of its time in the Western sense, but as a Japanese work based on the recognition of a living form in nature, and then on its measured accentuation. Its strength lies in this balance: enough carving to reveal the cat, enough material left intact for the natural origin to remain visible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sinapango ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54062660616538,"sku":"1","price":2800.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0957\/8568\/1242\/files\/E3117F07-21A7-4EB2-8319-CB3CDEF34C9C.jpg?v=1777113569","url":"https:\/\/sinapango.com\/en\/products\/chat-en-racine-sculptee-japon-xixe-siecle-ou-anterieur","provider":"Sinapango ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}