Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 14

19th Century Forged Iron Deer-Form Teeth Blackening Ritual Dish

$2,010
£1,523.35
€1,747.15
CA$2,808.35
A$3,063.76
CHF 1,624.96
MX$36,911.39
NOK 20,623.84
SEK 18,881.69
DKK 13,048.61

About the Item

A rare 19th-century Japanese iron ohaguro tsubo-a ritual teeth-blackening dish-formed as a stylized deer. These were traditionally used to hold the heated iron implement and mixture for the ohaguro process, but this example goes far beyond the utilitarian. Forged entirely by hand, the piece has an unexpectedly modern sensibility: long attenuated legs, a taut, canoe-shaped body, sharply drawn antlers, and a ring hanging from the mouth. The proportions feel almost weightless. Seen through a contemporary eye, the silhouette reads strikingly close to Alexander Calder's early iron works-pure line, pure gesture, sculpted in air. The surface is untouched, with the natural oxidation, hammer marks, and fire-scale that only time produces. The legs are mortised and riveted by hand. The form is both animal and abstraction, carrying the dual spirit of Japanese folk ritual and modernist sculpture.
  • Similar to:
    (after) Alexander Calder (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13.25 in (33.66 cm)Width: 32.75 in (83.19 cm)Depth: 7.75 in (19.69 cm)
  • Style:
    Modern (In the Style Of)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1860s
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Kilmarnock, VA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU883047529452

More From This Seller

View All
Hagenauer Style Bronze Nubian Andirons
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Beautiful pair of Karl Hagenauer style Nubian andirons made of cast bronze. Showing early modernist aesthetics and stylized deco features.
Category

Early 20th Century American Andirons

Materials

Bronze

19th century Japanese Bronze Hibachi or cache pot
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Late 19th Century Patinated Bronze Hibachi – Versatile Cache Pot or Ice Bucket A charming late 19th-century bronze hibachi featuring a rich, aged patina that highlights its historic...
Category

Antique 1880s Japanese Metalwork

Materials

Bronze

Life-Size Melt-Coated Hand Wrought Bronze Rooster Sculpture circa 1960s
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A bold and charismatic mid-century rooster sculpture, artist made hand-hammered, forged, and wrought in solid bronze, then melt-coated with additional layers of molten bronze to create its richly textured surface. Monumental in scale—life-size or larger—this piece embodies the spirit of modernist folk Americana, merging rural iconography with the expressive force of postwar studio sculpture. The rooster’s animated stance, raised tail, and crowing beak give it a dynamic presence that recalls Picasso’s stylized animal forms, while its weight and surface treatment nod to the work of Harry Bertoia, Paul Evans, and other makers in the 1950s brutalist tradition. Subtle reddish undertones in the tail feathers add warmth and depth to the oxidized patina. What sets this sculpture apart is not only its material complexity and sculptural technique, but also its provenance. It comes from the estate of Virginia folk artist P. Buckley Moss...
Category

Vintage 1960s Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Forged Steel Plant Table by Curtis Norton
By Curtis Norton
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A singular work by self-taught American artist Curtis Norton, this hand-forged steel table functions as both utilitarian object and sculptural form....
Category

Early 2000s American Pedestals

Materials

Metal

Emaús Workshop Sun and Moon Forged Iron Candelabra, Mexico, 1960s
By Emaus
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Hand-forged iron candelabra from the Benedictine Emaús Workshop, Mexico, 1960s. Sculpted in the form of a stylized sun with a human face on one side and a crescent moon on the revers...
Category

Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Candelabras

Materials

Wrought Iron

19th Century Shiwan Elephant Sculpture
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Guangdong Province, China Iron Oxide Body with Celadon Accents A rare and beautifully stylized Shiwan (also known as Shekwan) pottery elephant, dating to the mid to late 19th centu...
Category

Antique 19th Century Chinese Other Animal Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

You May Also Like

20th Century-African, Iron Object Made by the Lobi Tribe of Burkina Faso, Africa
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
An iron figurine made in Africa around the 20th century. In many countries in Africa, iron objects are used for objects, coins, tools, and rituals. Dogo...
Category

20th Century Burkinabe Tribal Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

"Reindeer, " Tour de Force Art Deco Wrought Iron Sculpture-Candle Stand
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Masterfully conceived and superbly executed, this may be the finest piece of Art Deco wrought iron we've ever offered. Reminiscent of the stylized work of William Hunt Diederich...
Category

Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Candle Holders

Materials

Wrought Iron

Mid-Century Wrought Iron Animal Sculpture
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Wrought Iron Animal Sculpture, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969. Additional information: Color: Black Styles: Mid-Century Modern Art Subjects: Animals Item...
Category

20th Century Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures

Materials

Wrought Iron

Italian Brutalist Iron Antelope Sculpture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian brutalist iron antelope sculpture Italy, circa 1950s Beautiful sculpted handcrafted artisanal piece Antelopes are said to be symbols of spiritu...
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Animal Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Animal Sculpture in Wrought Iron, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Animal Sculpture, 1960s, Wrought Iron, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969. Additional information: Color: Black Styles: Mid-Century Modern Art Subjects: Animals Item Typ...
Category

20th Century Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures

Materials

Wrought Iron

Mid Century Danish Iron Stag Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
A Danish circa 1960's hand-forged and painted iron stag head wall sculpture. Measurements: Height: 37" Width: 23" Depth: 23".
Category

Vintage 1960s Danish Animal Sculptures

Materials

Iron