Japanese Bronze Vase with Pine Tree and Cranes

• Oviform /ovoid - The outline loosely resembling the shape of an egg.
• Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.
• Verso - Verso is the "back" side of a sheet of paper, art work, coin or medal. The front side is "recto".
• Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
  
  The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
  
  It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• oriental bronzes, figures - bronze figures, cranes and herons 28
• oriental objects
  • bronze vases, Japanese 245
  • bronze, other objects 2,593