A massive bronze urn and cover By Hasegawa Harusada (1800-1883) The urn shaped vessel decorated with cranes in flight through clouds and above waves with applied dragon handles and set upon a separate base section modelled as rockwork with a pair of karako (Chinese boys) and a urn, the cover also modelled as rockwork and further surmounted by two further karako, signature beneath main urn. 104cm high. Footnotes: Provenance: Purchased in Japan by Vendors Grandfather Capt. Stanley Rhodes circa 1920's. The iconography of boys and a large jar may refer to the story of Shiba Onko, (Chian/Sima Qian in Chinese) was a famous statesman and historian of the Han Dynasty. As a child it was said that Shiba Onko and his companions were watching fish in a huge jar when one of them fell in but whilst the rest of his playmates ran away leaving the child to drown, Shiba Onko used a rock to break the jar to drain out the water and set his companion free. This episode was a popular theme among Edo-period artists as a parable of virtuous behaviour. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com