21st May, 2024 12:00
Fine Photographica
A Kowa MPC-300 Medium Format Camera
1963, black/chrome, serial no. 10052, with two multiple lenses including Kowa Multi-Lens-P f/22 120mm, black serial no. 1150058 and Kowa Multi-Lens-S f/22 120mm, black, serial no. 1140056, body, VG, shutter working, lenses, VG-E, complete with lens caps in maker's fitted case
Notes: An artistic camera same as the one used by photographer Gottfried Jäger who said "Geometric compositions with the help of multiple lenses, an optical unit consisting of a maximum of 57 side by side-mounted lenses (Type “S”) of the Japanese Camera Kowa MPC 300 Multi-Pattern Camera. This allows the optical realization of geometric principals such as displacement or translation. For instance, a single subject is projected many times adjacently or partially projected superimposed onto the image plane. The composition is observed and designed on the screen of the camera.
The special optics camera (Kowasix) was replaced by a large format view camera. Nearly 60 serial works emerged under the program name “4…” between 1973-1980."
You can see the work of Gottfried Jäger here: https://lr-develop.de/gottfried-jaeger/articles%23categoryArticles?id=19&locale=en
Provenance: Ex-Christies lot number 372 from the 19th March 1998
Sold for £1,125
Result including buyers premium
1963, black/chrome, serial no. 10052, with two multiple lenses including Kowa Multi-Lens-P f/22 120mm, black serial no. 1150058 and Kowa Multi-Lens-S f/22 120mm, black, serial no. 1140056, body, VG, shutter working, lenses, VG-E, complete with lens caps in maker's fitted case
Notes: An artistic camera same as the one used by photographer Gottfried Jäger who said "Geometric compositions with the help of multiple lenses, an optical unit consisting of a maximum of 57 side by side-mounted lenses (Type “S”) of the Japanese Camera Kowa MPC 300 Multi-Pattern Camera. This allows the optical realization of geometric principals such as displacement or translation. For instance, a single subject is projected many times adjacently or partially projected superimposed onto the image plane. The composition is observed and designed on the screen of the camera.
The special optics camera (Kowasix) was replaced by a large format view camera. Nearly 60 serial works emerged under the program name “4…” between 1973-1980."
You can see the work of Gottfried Jäger here: https://lr-develop.de/gottfried-jaeger/articles%23categoryArticles?id=19&locale=en
Provenance: Ex-Christies lot number 372 from the 19th March 1998
Auction: Fine Photographica, 21st May, 2024
