14 | 大熊氏廣、鈴木長吉 |
福澤諭吉還暦祝 灯台 | |
1897年 |
![](images/works/14.jpg)
14 | OKUMA Ujihiro and SUZUKI Chokichi |
Miniature Lighthouse, Gifted in Celebration of Fukuzawa Yukichi's 60th Birthday | |
1897 |
![](images/works/14.jpg)
学芸員の作品解説
福澤諭吉の還暦祝いで寄附が募られ制作された本作は、明治期における洋風彫刻の旗手である彫刻家・大熊氏廣が原型を、江戸時代からの鋳物技術を受け継ぐ金工師・鈴木長吉が鋳造を手がけ、西洋からの技法と日本の伝統技法が混ざり合う明治期ならではの表現を今に伝える作品である。灯台本体は配合の異なる2種の合金により5層の模様をもち、下部にあるしぶきまで表された荒波は銀で、精巧な岩礁は銅で造られ、大熊の得意とする躍動的表現と、鈴木の精緻な技巧をみることができる。長らく破損状態で保管されていたが「未来をひらく福澤諭吉」展(2009年、東京国立博物館ほか)に向け修復を開始。作業にあたっては、作品に附されていた材料・寸法を記した完成図および写真資料(明治期の印刷物)が重要な手がかりとなった。修復の基本方針としては展覧会出品を念頭に、主に欠失・変形していた金属部分について材料の一致を追求しない外形復元にとどめることとし、入手・加工しやすい真鍮やポリエステル樹脂を用い、附資料を参照し再現された。また駆動部は修理せず、色調も経年による金属酸化の状態のままとした。[長谷川]
Commentary by Curator
"This miniature lighthouse was donated and produced to celebrate Yukichi Fukuzawa's 60th birthday. The sculptor Ujihiro Okuma, a leading person of Western-style sculpture in the Meiji era, made the mold for this work. Its casting was done by Chokichi Suzuki, the metalworker who inherited metal casting techniques from the Edo period. This work’s significance lies in its unique expression of the Meiji era, where Western techniques were comined with traditional Japanese ones. The body of the lighthouse has a five-layered pattern made from two different types of alloy. The rough waters in the lower part are silver, crashing against elaborate rocks of copper. These indicate Okuma's mastery of dynamic expression and Suzuki's exquisite craftsmanship. Although the work had remained damaged for a long time, its restoration started to prepare for the exhibition ""Fukuzawa Yukichi: Living the Future"" (2009, Tokyo National Museum and others). Each process was carefully followed through with the help of its blueprint and photographic documentation (printed materials from the Meiji era) attached to the work. With exhibition in mind, the basic policy of the conservation was to reconstruct the appearance of the missing and deformed metal parts without seeking to match the original materials. The parts were reconstructed with reference to accompanying documents, using materials easy to obtain and work with such as brass and polyester resin. Its mechanical parts were unrepaired, their colors left in the state of metal oxidation due to aging."