Tiger Daisho

Edo period (1615-1868) 

A shakudo nanako daisho depicting tigers highlighted in gold.

What seems to be an interesting point here is that these seem to be illustrative of the idea that many Japanese craftsmen had not seen the animals that they were seeking to depict. In this case, the animals are obviously meant to be tigers, but equally do not really resemble actual tigers, except for the stripes.

Provenance
Bonhams (London) 2024