Samurai

Country: Spain

Manufactory: Lladro

Date of establishment: 1995

Sculptor: Antonio Ramos

Size (cm): 62*29

Limited Series

Porcelain Story

We have recently visited Kiev's Mystetsky Arsenal at an exhibition dedicated to Japanese traditional art. There were tons of people. I never thought that our people could be so passionate about the history of a country located on the other side of the world. Although why go far, if my spouse recently says that a trip to Japan is probably more interesting than a dozen vacations spent at seaside resorts. And I quietly agree with her, remembering my business trip to this unforgettable end of the earth.

Once in "porcelain stories" I already had to remember visiting Kyoto, Hiroshima, Tokyo and some other Japanese cities. And then I visited the exhibition - and it was like memories came flooding back. And ancient Japanese temples, and strict worship of folk traditions, from which, as it seemed to me then, in the early 1990s, no one dares to deviate. And this insane Japanese dedication in achieving the goal, which sometimes takes on simply incredible forms - when, God forbid, they are not late for at least one minute to work, they arrive at the office a few hours before the start of the working day - and doze off already at car in the parking lot. And these ancient Japanese wonders, so reverently preserved in protected areas - such as, for example, a rock garden, in which on a flat area of ??fine gravel, from which side you look, you will see only 14 large beautiful boulders, despite the fact that its actually... 15! And, finally, an amazing cult of passion for sumo wrestling competitions, admiration for cherry blossoms and worship of the code of real samurai.

I must say that the Japanese theme in porcelain art is extremely popular. Moreover, a lot of works devoted to Japanese life and traditions of the samurai were created in almost all the largest porcelain manufactories in Europe. But, perhaps, the most striking compositions on this theme belong, in my opinion, to the Spanish masters. And once again I want to emphasize that these works are not only beautiful. The uniqueness of the most outstanding works (to which I will allow myself to include the work presented to your attention) also lies in the incredibly accurate historical documentation of every (!) detail of the depicted character. Especially when it comes to the decoration of the samurai and his combat equipment. Not a single inaccuracy in the strokes - such a task is faced by a special division working in the "City of Porcelain" near Valencia, where this work was also created. This professional meticulousness of porcelain masters causes nothing but admiration for me. I hope you can feel the same in some way. Although, of course, I understand that no photograph is able to convey the live contemplation of such a detailed composition. By the way, the Japanese often repeat: among flowers - sakura, among people - samurai ...