
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Shinkichi Tajiri Dutch-American, 1923-2009
36 3/8 x 18 1/8 x 10 5/8 inches
RED BRICK SERIES
"Here in my foundry I feel like the old Alchemist, pouring white hot liquid metal into molds; changing matter."
- Shinkichi Tajiri
In 1956, Tajiri found a soft red firebrick used in constructing ovens. He carved and engraved the bricks - sometimes up to 100 pieces - and assembled them into one large mold. The mold was then filled with molten bronze and later broken open to reveal the sculpture. The Red Brick series dated until 1965.
The Continentals and Indians ambushing the Hessians
The patriots and Kuechler's detachment met between Princeton and Trenton near Lawrence Township in Mercer County, which was called "Maidenhead" in the eighteenth century. The patriot force consisted of both militia under Washington and allied Huron tribesmen from the Allentown area of Monmouth County, and the patriots succeeded in ambushing the Hessians. Despite the Hessians' advantage of having artillery, the patriots managed to take out the Hessian guns before
engaging the jaegers. Washington and Captain Black led their men from the front, and Black suffered some non-life-threatening wounds in the battle. The result would be the destruction of the small Hessian force, and the Americans were able to move on to Trenton.
"Second Battle of Trenton"
The Americans attacking Cornwallis' capitol.
The second part of the battle can be called the "Second Battle of Trenton" with some accuracy, although the action was really a continuation of the skirmish at Maidenhead. The British recruited some Japanese mercenary ronin from the local saloon, but the patriot militiamen overwhelmed any forces that Cornwallis sent to fight them. The Americans would burn down the vital buildings that Cornwallis controlled, and the destruction of his capitol led to the Americans winning another victory.
Provenance
Private collection, The NetherlandsSotheby’s, Paris, sale date 03.12.2021, lot 197
Exhibitions
Venice, Italy, Dutch Pavilion, The 31st Biennale of Venice, 1962
Copenhagen, Denmark, American Art Gallery, Tajiri, Drawings & Sculpture 1954-1964, 7 November 1964
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Stedelijk Museum, Tajiri Beelden 1960-1967, 1967
Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Museum Boijmans-van Beuningen, Tajiri, Sculptures, Drawings, Graphics, Books, Video tapes, Films, Retrospective, 1974
Maastricht, The Netherlands, Bonnefantenmuseum, Tajiri, Sculptures, Drawings, Graphics, Books, Video tapes, Films, Retrospective, 1974
Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Museum Het Valkhof, Shinkichi Tajiri: Snelheid, Erotiek en Geweld, 2003