A magnificent, unique, and most unusual find. The story
goes.....
Two Bamboo Eagles were
discovered and purchased by a Japanese bamboo specialist at a World Bamboo Fair
in Tokyo, Japan around 1991 or 1992. The eagle's were believed to be originally
made in China (according to the specialist) but it is not known if this is
Mainland China, Hong-Kong, Taiwan or other area.
The eagle is comprised of two parts - the base and eagle.
The base of the eagle is the actual root of
a bamboo
tree which measures 11.75" in diameter and 6" high. There are
two holes in the base which mate with two posts on the eagle. The number
48 was found on the top of the base which coincides with a number 48 found on the bottom of
one of the eagles feet. There is also a small crack near one of the holes on the
base which does
not interfere with or hinder the mounting of the eagle and is not visible unless the eagle and
base are separated. The roots are somewhat brittle - most likely caused by age
as it appears to be unprocessed, natural bamboo.
Click on Photo for Larger Image
The eagle measures 14.25"
wide x 11" long x 16" high and weighs about 7 lbs. The feathers were
individually handmade and applied. When holding the eagle,
the feathers require careful attention as too much pressure applied might damage
the eagle.
The eagle has been very
gently and delicately cleaned using a soft cotton cloth and oil from the
Camellia flower (as recommended by the Japanese Bamboo Specialist). This oil
does not leave a residue and brought a shine to the feathers without damaging
the finish. We find that this worked very well as the condition of the eagle,
when found, was very dusty from perching in an open bamboo warehouse for
many years.
A minor separation of glued bamboo was noticed under one wing
area on the right side. It does not
appear to be damaged, but probably due from old-age or drying (shrinking) of the
bamboo. It is only visible under close inspection. Considering the overall quality and beauty of the eagle, we consider it
to be of minor importance. The number 981 was found on the inside of one wing
but the meaning of the number is unknown.
Click
on Photo for Larger Image
The number 48 was found on the bottom of one finger of the
eagle and unintelligible markings on another. The 48 matches with the number 48
found on the top of the base (pictured earlier).
Click on Photo for Larger Image
A special trip was made to
Japan and the eagle was hand-carried back to the U.S. surviving auto and
bullet-train rides, x-ray machines, and airplane overhead storage compartments.
Thanks for
visiting and we hope you enjoyed the Bamboo Eagle.
