Large Bronze Dragon Incense Burner

Henri-Charles Guérard French

Not on view

Guérard made this etching as an illustration for Louis Gonse's two-volume book "L'Art Japonais" (1883), the first significant scholarly study of Japanese art published in French. Guérard contributed eleven etchings and 220 drawings to the project based on objects in renowned Parisian collections. This bronze dragon incense burner came from the collection of Henri Cernuschi (1821–1896), a banker who acquired 5,000 works of art during his travels in Japan and China in the early 1870s. Gonse wrote of the illustration: "M. Guérard has pit his strength against the monster. His feverish [etching] needle has translated well its epic energy." Japanese aesthetics continued to influence Guérard's printmaking for the remainder of his career.

Large Bronze Dragon Incense Burner, Henri-Charles Guérard (French, Paris 1846–1897 Paris), Etching, drypoint, and roulette; between states two and three of three

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