Dimensions: H 4.0 × 21.5 × 5.5 cm
Material: Bronze, gilt accents
Artist: Kitamura Seibo (Japan, 1884 – 1987)

This bronze paperweight, finished with a warm bronze tone and gilded highlights, was created by Kitamura Seibo, one of Japan’s most celebrated sculptors.

About the Artist
Born in Nagasaki in 1884, Kitamura first exhibited at the Ministry of Education Art Exhibition in 1906 and gained recognition with Evening Bell in 1916. He became a juror for the inaugural Imperial Exhibition in 1919 and a member of the Imperial Art Academy in 1925. His major works include Mother and Child, Joyful Girl, and numerous public monuments such as the statue of Itagaki Taisuke (1938), the renowned Peace Statue in Nagasaki (1951), Pegasus for the New Imperial Palace (1976), Flight in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (1977), and statues of Prince Shōtoku and Hatakeyama Shigetada.

Honored with the Order of Culture and the title of Person of Cultural Merit in 1968, Kitamura also helped establish the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition), later serving as its president and as honorary president of the Japan Sculpture Society.