BRIDGE FINIAL

A massive Japanese wooden giboshi, bridge post finial. The large onion shaped finial would have originally had a cylindrical base and been attached to the top of the bridge column to be both decorative and protecting the top of column from weather. The unusually large size of this example indicating that it likely came from a very large bridge. The finial with large age crack and traces of previous pigments and lacquer finishes.    
Edo Period (1600-1868)
19" high x 15” wide