GONDA HIROSUKE: A FINE CLOISONNE ENAMEL VASEBy Gonda Hirosuke (1865-1937), signed with the mark of Gonda HirosukeJapan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)Of quadrangular form with an ovoid body, short spreading foot, waisted neck, and flat everted rim, the rims of silver. The exterior finely decorated with silver and gilt wire and polychrome enamels against a black ground with a maple tree and numerous blossoming flowers including chrysanthemum, bellflower, aster, iris, and lily. The base with a silver tablet with the impressed mark of Gonda Hirosuke in the shape of a flaming tama. HEIGHT 18.5 cmWEIGHT 268 gCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, minimal pitting, occasional light scratches, the mouth and foot rim each with few tiny nicks. Provenance: From a private collection in Northern Germany, assembled between 1985 and 2006.
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A GOLD LACQUER SHELL-FORM KOGO (INCENSE BOX) AND COVER WITH TEA CEREMONY UTENSILS (CHADOGU)Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Modeled in the form of a clam shell, bearing a richly gold-sprinkled ground finely decorated to the top of the cover in iro-e takamaki-e, with some details in hiramaki-e, e-nashiji, and aogai inlay, depicting tea ceremony utensils including a chaire inside a brocade bag, a circular tsuishu kogo and cover, a rectangular box, and a feather brush. The base and interior of rich nashiji, the interior of the cover with a freely painted design of gushing winds in gold takamaki-e. The rims lacquered dark brown. LENGTH 11.5 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear, light scratches and tiny nicks here and there, the rims with few minuscule shallow chips.Provenance: From an old private collection in Romandy, Switzerland. Auction comparison:Compare a closely related lacquer kogo with the same motif at Sotheby's, Fine Japanese Art, 6 November 2018, London, lot 124 (sold for GBP 3,500).
A RARE FIGURAL LACQUER INCENSE HOLDER OF A DRUNKEN SHOJOJapan, 19th centuryFinely formed and decorated in iro-e maki-e in the shape of a Shojo sitting atop a large raku-ware sake jar. The Shojo wearing a large kimono decorated in gold hiramaki-e with medallions and foliate designs, the billowing robes decorated with bamboo leaves, holding a vase decorated with lotus. The figure's face bearing an inebriated expression and with long red hair, falling in strands down the back and sides. The vase and top of the shojo's head have apertures for holding incense sticks.HEIGHT 18.3 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear, small nicks, light scratches, a single dent to the Shojo's head, and some tiny chips to edges.
HENMI TOYO: A SUPERB TSUISHU AND TSUIKOKU LACQUER KOGO (INCENSE BOX) AND COVERBy Henmi Toyo (1846-1920), signed Hen (Itsu) ToyoJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)Of circular form, intricately carved in low relief to one side with Kannon leaning against a craggy rock and holding a rosary beside a sinuous dragon and to the other with Daruma standing on a reed, his head backed by a halo, surrounded by thick swirling clouds, all in tsuikoku against a tsuishu ground neatly incised with waves, the interior lacquered black. Signed within a raised rectangular reserve HEN TOYO.DIAMETER 9 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, few minuscule nicks and tiny chips to edges, few light scratches.Henmi Toyo (1846-1920) went to Kyoto in 1862 to study swordsmithing techniques. In 1864 he returned to his hometown in Okayama Prefecture and became a swordsmith under the name of Chikukansai Yoshitaka. He possessed exceptional skills and was much admired but his business was discontinued when the Sword Law was abolished in 1872. After that, he became involved in a wide range of crafts, including wood carving, bamboo carving, and lacquerwork. In 1895, he won the first prize and a gold medal at the 4th National Industrial Exhibition for his boxwood crab figurine. He also presented a tsuishu food basket to the Emperor Meiji in 1910 and a sword, a joint work with his brother, to the Emperor Taisho in 1915. In addition to crafts, he was also skilled in jujutsu, archery, calligraphy, chanting, and tea ceremony.
MIWA: A FINE EDO SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF GAMA SENNIN AND HIS TOADBy Miwa, signed Miwa with sealJapan, Edo (Tokyo), late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Gama sennin is depicted seated with his legs outstretched, his head raised high above as he smiles, his hands reaching out to hold the large toad who tries to crawl onto his lap as the sennin's foot gives it a boost. The sennin dressed in loose robes with an artemisia cloak wrapped around his shoulders. To the rear, a cavernous oval opening forms the entrance to the himotoshi, the exit a small hole to the base. Signed MIWA with a square seal. LENGTH 3.8 cmCondition: Very good condition, appealingly worn, with a few light surface scratches. Literature comparison:Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a seated Gama sennin and his toad by Miwa in Sotheby's, Fine Japanese Netsuke, Inro, Lacquer Wares and Ceramics, 1 June 1981, London, lot 43.
MINKO: A SUPERB EBONY PUMPKIN-FORM TONKOTSU AND INLAID BAMBOO KISERUZUTSU WITH SNAIL AND BAMBOOBy Tanaka Juntoku Minko (1735-1816), the kiseruzutsu signed Tsuhan no naka no hito, Minko choko with seal, the tonkotsu signed Minko with seal Japan, Tsu, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The tobacco box naturalistically carved as an oblong pumpkin, the stem slightly curled, the leaves finely detailed with 'worm holes', the surface finished to reveal the natural texture of the vegetable's skin. Himotoshi at the tip of the stem. The reverse with two rectangular reserves with the signature and seal MINKO. The bamboo pipecase of cylindrical form and fitted with a bone-inlaid cap, finely decorated to the exterior with a superbly inlaid antler snail slowly crawling inches closer to two leafy bamboo stalks inlaid in greenstained horn. Signed Tsuhan no naka no hito, MINKO choko [Carved by Minko, the retainer artist at the Tsu Domain] with seal Minko. With a globular agate ojime.HEIGHT 10.5 cm (the tobacco box), LENGTH (kiseruzutsu) 24.6 cm (the pipecase) and 21 cm (the pipe)Condition: Overall good condition with wear and traces of use, the pipecase with few minor age cracks, few minor losses to inlays, some inlays loose and two replaced, the tobacco box with few small chips, a repair to the cover, and occasional light scratches. Tanaka Juntoko Minko (1735-1816) was one of the few names mentioned in the Soken Kisho of 1781, the first publication mentioning netsuke. He was famous during his lifetime and is widely regarded as one of the greatest netsuke carvers.13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium – only for buyers within the EU.
UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE: SEA BREAM AND SANSHO PEPPERBy Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), signed Hiroshige gaJapan, c. 1832-1833Color woodblock print on paper. Oban yoko-e. Signed Ichiryusai Hiroshige ga with Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudo) publisher's seal. Titled Sea Bream and Sansho Pepper with two kyoka poems by Shizugaki Namiyasu and Toshigaki Maharu, from an untitled series known as Large Fish (Uozukushi), circa 1832-33.The impression retaining most of its bright colors, the sharp teeth of the sea bream sharply detailed with thorny sansho pepper prunings with a light blue ground fading to white then to dark blue in the upper part.SIZE of the sheet 25 x 35 cmCondition: Good condition and impression, very few small wormholes, colors slightly faded, and minor soiling. Firmly mounted at the upper margin to a paper mat.Provenance: From the collection of Adolphe Stoclet, and thence by descent in the Stoclet family. Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949) was a Belgian engineer, financier, and noted collector. He was born into a family of Belgian bankers and became a director of the Societe Generale de Belgique after his father's death. He married Suzanne Stevens (1874-1960), the daughter of the art critic, historian, collector, and dealer Arthur Stevens (1825-1909) and niece of the painter Alfred Stevens (1823-1906). The Stoclets were connected with avant-garde art circles in Paris and Vienna, where they met Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956), who designed the Stoclet's famous Palais in Brussels. Gustav Klimt (1862-1916) painted the murals in its dining room. The Palais Stoclet, today a UNESCO World Heritage site, was the lavish setting to one of the most important eclectic art collections of all times, which included Egyptian and Chinese sculpture, medieval Italian painting and metalwork, enamels and relics, as well as Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art.Auction comparison:Compare a set of nine woodblock prints from the same series including an identical Sea Bream and Sansho Pepper, at Christie's, Japanese and Korean Art, 19 March 2019, New York, lot 226 (sold for USD 30,000).
TENJUKAN GYOKEN: SURIMONO OF A SPHERICAL CENSER WITH PASSION FLOWERSBy Tenjukan Gyoken (active 1830-1869), signed Tenjukan Gyoken and sealedJapan, 19th century, late Edo period (1615-1868)Haikai color woodblock print and blind stamping on paper. Obosho format. Signed and sealed Tenjukan Gyoken. Titled A Spherical Censer with Passion Flowers.The lower right-hand register depicting a pomander, printed with gold and mica, tied with a tasseled cord next to a passionflower blossom and bud. The upper register inscribed with vertical lines of text continuing to the left edge.SIZE of the sheet 40.6 x 51.5 cmCondition: Great impression and vivid colors, light creasing, fold lines, minor trimming along the margin, and minuscule soiling.Provenance: Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects from their collection to the Belgian city of Leuven's museum for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privebezit ('Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven'), and in 1967 they lent around thirty Japanese objects to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels for their exhibition Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen ('Japanese Art in Belgian Private Collections').Museum comparison:Compare a related haikai color woodblock print inscribed and decorated with a brocade cloth next to a teacup with trumpet blossoms, by Tenjukan Gyoken, in the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, accession number 2003.63.
OHARA KOSON: A CROW ON A SNOWY BRANCHBy Ohara Koson (1877-1945), signed KosonJapan, first half of 20th century, late Meiji (1868-1912) to early Showa period (1926-1989)Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban. Signed Koson. Titled A Crow on a Snowy Branch.A large black crow stands with its taloned feet on a snowy pine branch, his mouth wide open as it crows, exposing its pink mouth and tongue.Inscriptions: The reverse inscribed in English, 'All rights reserved, Y Nishinomiya Tokyo, Made in Japan.'SIZE of the sheet 24 x 41 cmCondition: Good condition and impression with slightly faded colors, very minor material loss and glue residue along the margins, light foxing, and staining. Mounted with tapes on a paper mat.Ohara Koson (1877-1945) was a Japanese painter and woodblock print designer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, part of the shin-hanga (“new prints”) movement. He is famous as a master of kacho-e (bird-and-flower) designs. Throughout a prolific career, in which he created around 500 prints, he went by three different titles: Ohara Hoson, Ohara Shoson, and Ohara Koson.Museum comparison:Compare a closely related print by Koson of a crow on a snow-covered branch, in the Rijksmuseum, accession number RP 1999-515.Auction comparison:Compare a closely related print of a crow on a snow-covered branch, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, including the Crawford Collection of Suimono, 22 September 2021, New York, lot 921 (sold for USD 2,040).
KAN: A MASTERFUL RITSUO STYLE INLAID LACQUER BUNKO AND COVER REFERENCING SUGAWARA NO MICHIZANEBy a follower of Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuo, 1663-1747), most likely by Mochizuki Hanzan (1743-1790), sealed KanJapan, second half of 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Published & Exhibited: Cornell University, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Scattered Gold and Midnight Gloss: Japanese Lacquer from the Anbinder Collection, 31 March – 8 July 2007, p. 11. Of rectangular form with lobed edges, the top and sides each with a shaped sunken panel bearing a beautiful gold kinji ground, the cover finely decorated with inlays of aogai, mitsuda, eggshell, coral, and glazed ceramic as well as gold, black, and red takamaki-e to depict three cranes in front of an entrance to the Dazaifu shrine with a blossoming plum tree in the courtyard, the gate tower with subtly inlaid glass windows, the gate and wall roughly textured imitating plaster, the edges and base finished in ishime, the sides gold-lacquered in low relief with Chinese poems (kanshi) by Sugaware no Michizane. The interior of roiro with gold fundame edges, the interior of the cover with gold, red, and black hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with kirigane and mura-nashiji as well as inlays of aogai and mitsuda (pewter) to depict an ox bucking before a meandering river, the lower right corner with an inlaid ceramic seal KAN. SIZE 10.6 x 37.6 x 28.8 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, few tiny nicks, occasional light scratches, minor flaking to ceramic inlays, little rubbing to lacquer and mitsuda inlay. Provenance: Heian Art, Kyoto, Japan. The Paul and Helen Anbinder Collection, acquired from the above. Paul Anbinder (b. 1940) is a retired editor who was a director at important publishers, including Random House and Hudson Hills. Helen Anbinder (1942-2022) was an education administrator who ran the Inter-village Continuing Education Program for Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, and Irvington, New York. The couple were avid museumgoers and collectors of art. They donated many books and prints from their collection to their alma mater Cornell University and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.The style of the present bunko is clearly that of Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuo, 1663-1747), but it is more likely to be by Mochizuki Hanzan (Haritsu II, 1743-1790) or a close follower.The design on the cover, depicting the Dazaifu shrine, a blossoming plum tree, and cranes, allegorizes the legends surrounding Sugaware no Michizane, who at the age of ten composed a Chinese poem praising the beauty of plum blossoms under the full moon. The inscriptions on the sides of the box and cover are Chinese poems by Michizane written during his exile. The inside of the cover also refers to Michizane, as after his death his body was carried in a cart by an ox, which suddenly stopped in front of a stream as if it could not be induced to go farther. Michizane's attendants interpreted this as a sign of where their master wanted to be buried and dug his grave at the exact spot the ox stopped. Later, the Shinto shrine of Dazaifu Tenmangu, visible to the front of this masterful lacquer box, was erected there in his honor. Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian period. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in waka and kanshi poetry. Although he reached the high rank of Dajo Daijin (Supreme Head of the Council of State), due to a political rivalry against Fijiwara no Tokihira, he was exiled and died in Dazaifo, Kyushu. After Michizane's death, plague and drought spread and sons of Emperor Daigo died in succession. The Imperial Palace's Great Audience Hall (shishinden) was struck repeatedly by lightning, and the city experienced weeks of rainstorms and floods. Attributing this to the angry spirit of the exiled Sugawara, the imperial court built a Shinto shrine called Kitano Tenman-gu in Kyoto, and dedicated it to him. They posthumously restored his title and office, and struck from the record any mention of his exile. Even this was not enough, and 70 years later Sugawara was deified as Tenjin-sama, a god of sky and storms. Eventually Tenjin evolved into a benign kami of scholarship. With a wood storage box. Auction comparison: Compare a related woven rattan suzuribako by Mochizuki Hanzan, with a similar shaped panel to the top of the cover, dated to the 18th century, at Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Collection of Japanese Art Part II, 10 May 2011, London, lot 361 (sold for 19,200 GBP). Also compare to a related suzuribako by Mochizuki Hanzan, sealed Hanzan, worked with similar bright inlays, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 3 December 2021, Vienna, lot 165 (sold for EUR 50,560).
HARADA KEIGAKU: SURIMONO OF FLOWER PARASOLS (HANAGASA)By Harada Keigaku (1803-1885), sealed Keigaku ga inJapan, 19th centuryHaikai color woodblock print and blind stamping on paper. Obosho format. Sealed Keigaku ga in and signed by the publisher Shoken rojin sho (Compilation written by the old man Shoken) with the seal Nishin.The lower right-hand register depicting five noblewomen at a hanami (Flower viewing) standing beneath grey parasols surrounded by flowering cherry blossoms. The upper-left corner depicting a twin peaked mountain. Three rows of vertical poems stretch across the print, consisting of Haiku's regarding spring, birds, and the celebration of flowers.SIZE of the sheet 40.4 x 56.6 cmCondition: Good condition and impression with slight fading to the colors, minor soiling, small creases, folding lines, light staining, and some foxing, otherwise presenting well.Provenance: Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker. Inside the passepartout inscribed, 'Dame noble et ses suivantes allant regarder la floraison des ierisiers (Hanami).' Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects from their collection to the Belgian city of Leuven's museum for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privebezit ('Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven'), and in 1967 they lent around thirty Japanese objects to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels for their exhibition Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen ('Japanese Art in Belgian Private Collections').Museum comparison:Compare a related surimono depicting a festival at Koto Haichiman shrine, dated 1844, In the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number P.77.27.94.
SHIBATA ZESHIN: SURIMONO OF A MAGNOLIA BRANCH, CENSER, AND INCENSE ENVELOPEBy Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), signed Shibata Zeshin and sealed TairyukyoJapan, 19th centuryHaikai color woodblock print and blind stamping on paper. Obosho format. Signed Shibata Zeshin and sealed Tairyukyo to the lower right corner. Titled A Magnolia Branch, Censer, and Incense Envelope.The right register depicting a magnolia branch with purple blossoms and green leaves borne on a stem next to a bronze koro (censer) on a red tray next to an incense envelope with kirigane decorations. Three rows of vertical text stretch from the center to the left edge.SIZE of the sheet 44.5 x 58.2 cmCondition: Good impression and vivid colors, light creasing, folding lines, some foxing, and minimal staining, overall presenting very well.Provenance: Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker. Inside the passepartout inscribed, 'Enveloppe contenant des pastilles de parfum. Koro (brule parfum) et branche Me Kulen (magnolia).' Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects from their collection to the Belgian city of Leuven's museum for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privebezit ('Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven'), and in 1967 they lent around thirty Japanese objects to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels for their exhibition Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen ('Japanese Art in Belgian Private Collections').Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) was a Japanese painter, lacquer artist, and printmaker of the late Edo period to early Meiji era. He has been called 'Japan's greatest lacquerer.' His work, unlike the oils being used by so many of his contemporaries, never need re-touching and never faded. He was a master of emulating oil or ink painting with lacquer and combined groundbreaking techniques with traditional subjects. His studio was situated on the bank of a river, providing him with ample opportunity to observe nature, and the creatures that inhabited the natural world. Like many painters of the 19th century, he was eclectic in his sources and would have been exposed to traditional styles. However, Zeshin's skill level was such that he could fluidly mix techniques, ideas, and stylistic options, thus painting part of a composition in one manner and including elements of another to add variety and dynamics unheard of at the time.Museum comparison:Compare a related surimono with two rows of vertical inscription and a hat and bundle printed on the lower right-hand corner, by Shibata Zeshin, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.79.152.291. Compare a related surimono with three rows of vertical inscription with a monumental rock surrounded by foliage on the right-hand register, by Shibata Zeshin, in the British Museum, accession number 2021,3013.322.
TSUCHIYA KOITSU: ASAKUSA KANNON TEMPLEBy Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870–1949), signed Koitsu with seal ShinJapan, dated 1933Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban. Signed Koitsu with seal Shin, publisher Doi Hangaten with watermark 'Doi' located on the top-left corner. Titled Asakusa Kannon-do (Asakusa Kannon Temple), number 5 in the series Tokyo fukei (Views of Tokyo).The Asakusa Kannon Temple in the evening, during a rainstorm, a woman walks in the foreground, holding an umbrella, while the ground around her shimmers as the rain hits the surface.SIZE of the sheet 39.2 x 26.6 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor wear and slight browning of paper.The enormously popular Asakusa Kannondo Temple (also known as Sensoji Temple) in Tokyo's Asakusa district figures prominently in the traditional annual calendar of events and festivals, especially during the temple visits at the New Year which attract large crowds.Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949) was a renowned landscape artist and a student of the famous Meiji-era print designer Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915). He gained prominence as a designer of shin hanga (Modern Prints) for major woodblock print publishers from the early 1930s to 1940. Tsuchiya Koitsu's prints were known for their dramatic use of light and interesting color effects, influenced by his teacher Kiyochika. While some critics praised his work, noting its quality on par with famous shin hanga landscape artists like Kawase Hasui, Kasamatsu Shiro, and Yoshida Hiroshi, others criticized his heavy-handed design and unconventional color sensibility.Museum comparison:An identical print is in the collection of the Art Institute Chicago, reference number 1990.607.269. An identical print is in the collection of the Syracuse University Art Museum, object number 1997.0304.Auction comparison:Compare a closely related woodblock print, sold at Sotheby's, Landscape to City: 20th Century Japanese Prints Part II, 10 May 2023, London, lot 102 (sold for GBP 3,302).
TSUCHIYA KOITSU: SNOW ON THE UKIMIDO AT KATADABy Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949), signed Koitsu with seal ShinJapan, dated 1934Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban. Signed Koitsu with seal Shin; publisher Watanabe. Titled Yuki no Katada Ukimido (Snow on the Ukimido at Katada).A beautiful winter waterfront with light snow falling, a snowy embankment in the foreground, and a stilted pavilion in the background with a single lamp post, faintly lit. A snow-covered pine branch in the left register blocks the view of the pavilion's walkway. Inscriptions: Along the left-hand margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo [copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo].SIZE of the sheet 39 x 26.6 cmCondition: Good impression and great colors slightly faded, minor creasing to the margins. Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949) was a renowned landscape artist and a student of the famous Meiji-era print designer Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915). He gained prominence as a designer of shin hanga (New Prints) for major woodblock print publishers from the early 1930s to 1940. Tsuchiya Koitsu's prints were known for their dramatic use of light and interesting color effects, influenced by his teacher Kiyochika. While some critics praised his work, noting its quality on par with famous shin hanga landscape artists like Kawase Hasui, Kasamatsu Shiro, and Yoshida Hiroshi, others criticized his heavy-handed design and unconventional color sensibility.Auction comparison:Compare a related print by Tsuchiya Koitsu titled Suijin Shrine on the Sumida River, at Sotheby's, Landscape to City: 20th Century Japanese Prints Part II, 10 May 2023, London, lot 107 (sold for GBP 2,413).
A MAGNIFICENT FOUR-PANEL BYOBU SCREEN OF AN EAGLE PERCHED ON PINE, ATTRIBUTED TO NISHIMURA SOZAEMON, THE DESIGN BY IMAO KEINENAttributed to Nishimura Sozaemon (1855-1935), after a design by Imao Keinen (1845-1924), sealed Keinen 景年Japan, late 19th to early 20th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)Embroidery on silk. Mounted on six panels within a silk brocade frame attached to a black-lacquer frame with wheels. The majestic bird perched on a pine branch, wings resplendent, seconds before swooping down to grab its prey in its sharp talons, the pine overgrown with hanging vines which appear to wither away as winter approaches.Inscriptions: One seal to the bottom-right, Keinen.Condition: Fair condition with wear commensurate with age, few loose threads, minor losses, some light soiling and few tears. Overall presenting well.Dimensions: Size 59.5 x 165 cm (each panel), 174 x 264 cm (total)The Nishimura Sozaemon family founded a family business in the middle of the 16th century. The family, in the Chikiriya clan, currently operates as a textile wholesaler under the name Chiso Co. Ltd., which is one of Japan's oldest businesses. According to the surviving genealogical records of the Nishimura family, the Chikiriya clan was founded during the Koji period (1555-1558) when Nishimura Yozaemon opened a shop selling clerical garments in the Sanjo-Muromachi district of Kyoto. The clan's shop flourished in the 17th century, operating in more than 100 housing units. However, the only remaining direct descendants of the Chikiriya clan are the Nishimura Sozaemon, Nishimura Jihei, and Nishimura Kichisaemon families.Imao Keinen (1845-1924) was born to a family in the textile business (Iseya for Inosuke Imao) and trained from age 11 as a picture master to provide imagery for yuzen textiles. He first studied ukiyo-e style with Umegawa Tokyo, then turned to Suzuki Hyakunen, who favored the Nanga school. He named himself for his father's most beloved artist, Matsumura Keibun. He was hired at age 30 by the Nishmura Sozaemon company (now Chiso) to design embroidered pictures. He also worked for Iida Shinshichi (Takashimaya), and would win prizes at the 1893 Columbian World's Fair in Chicago, followed by a silver medal for the 1900 Paris Exposition Unverselle, and a gold medal at the Saint Louis World Exposition. Beginning in 1888, he taught at Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting, and would become an Imperial Artist in 1904, following his gold medal in Saint Louis. He was elected as a member of the Imperial Art Academy in 1919. He specialized in bird and flower paintings and prints.
YOSHIMASA: A VERY LARGE PAINTED AND EMBROIDERED 'ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE' WALL HANGINGBy Yoshimasa, signed Yoshimasa saku 好雅作Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912)The large tapestry painted and embroidered on silk primarily in blue, brown, red, and cream, depicting the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima and its iconic 'floating' torii gate, which appears to float in the sea during high tide, large and small boats float nearby in the inlet, the verdant landscapes full of luscious pines peeking through the intricate shrine complex.Inscriptions: Signed to the bottom-left, 'Yoshimasa saku' [Made by Yoshimasa]. Inscribed to the plaque of the torii gate, 'Itsukushima Jinja' [The Itsukushima Shrine]. The tomobako box inscribed, 'Saito' 齋藤 and 'Hattori Yoshimasa saku' 服部好雅作 [Made by Hattori Yoshimasa].SIZE 306 x 185 cmCondition: Very good condition with some light soiling, few loose threads, minor traces of use and wear.With a fitted tomobako storage box. (2)The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures. The shrine and its torii gate are unique for being built over water, with the complex itself consisting of multiple buildings, including a prayer hall, main hall, and Noh theater stage, which are connected by boardwalks and supported by pillars above the sea.
A KO-KUTANI PORCELAIN TOKKURI (SAKE BOTTLE), WITH FUKU MARKMarked FukuJapan, Edo period (1615-1868)Thickly potted as a tokkuri (sake bottle), richly decorated in bright multi-colored enamels against a crackled beige ground, depicting two long-tailed birds perched on large, leafy peach tree. The shoulder is decorated with red karakusa and four reserves featuring Greek motifs and leafy peonies on a yellow ground. At the base, a band of triangular geometric decoration in yellow and green enamel. The underside with the green-enamelled FUKU mark.HEIGHT 27 cmCondition: Excellent condition with minor firing irregularities and light wear. Auction comparison:Compare a related Ko-Kutani tokkuri at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 11 May 2010, London, lot 361 (sold for GBP 2,160).
A PAIR OF BRONZE KORO (CENSER) AND COVERS WITH EAGLE AND DRAGONSJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)Each finely cast in three separate parts, the globular body supported on three legs and rising to a broad cylindrical neck with a galleried rim, flanked by two handles in the form of sinuous rain dragons. The slightly domed covered is surmounted by a large eagle with its wings outspread, perched atop a rock above large clouds with apertures for ventilation. The body of the censers are decorated in relief with peony, roosters in mid-flight, kiku (chrysanthemum) blossoms, and a large magnolia branch with buds, all set on an elaborate diaper-patterned ground. The legs are in the form of stylized rain dragons and are mounted to a slightly raised, round base with rinzu band.HEIGHT 45.6 cm and 46.6 cmWEIGHT 3,111 g and 3,196 gCondition: Overall good condition with minor typical wear and signs of use, some casting flaws, small nicks, light scratches, minor dents, and the wings of one eagle reattached.
A FINE GOLD AND SILVER INLAID IRON TRAY DEPICTING BUTTERFLIES AND PEONYJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)Finely cast and elaborately decorated with gold, silver, and shibuichi inlays, the tray is of oval form with a straight rim. The interior inlaid with large peony blossom borne on a leafy stem growing from craggy rockwork with two butterflies flittering above, all framed within a double-line reserve surrounded by silver karakusa. The rim is decorated with a silver inlaid hanabishi pattern.LENGTH 35.6 cmWEIGHT 1,239.1 gCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, light scratches, and microscopic nicks.With a fitted wooden display stand.
A FINE LACQUER SUZURIBAKO DEPICTING A SAMURAIJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912) to Taisho period (1912-1926)Of rectangular form with rounded corners, bearing a lustrous roiro ground finely decorated to the flush-fitting cover with gold and colored takamaki-e with hiramaki-e, kirikane, and mura-nashiji to depict a samurai riding his galloping horse and holding a long bamboo stick. The base and interior of rich nashiji, the interior further with gold fundame edges, the interior cover with gold and black hiramaki-e depicting a sho, flute, and hand drum, the removable ita (baseboard) fitted with a silver circular waterdropper (suiteki) decorated in relief with a man writing on a tree as well as an inkstone (suzuri), further with an inscribed brush. SIZE 7 x 25.5 x 22.3 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, few tiny nicks, occasional light scratches, the interior with few minuscule flakes to edges, the cover with few minor age cracks.
MASATOSHI: A LARGE KOMAI-STYLE MIXED-METAL-INLAID BRONZE BOX AND COVERBy Masatoshi, signed Masatoshi sakuJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)Of rectangular form, supported on four short bracket feet, the flush-fitting cover and the sides lacquered black and decorated in gold and silver hirazogan and nunome-zogan, the cover featuring a landscape with a shrine and temple surrounded by lush trees, with Mount Fuji in the background, the sides with two dragons, a seahawk causing crashing waves with its wings, two cranes amid bamboo, and huts in a river landscape, the silvered interior engraved with a sparrow and flowering prunus. SIZE 15.4 x 27.5 x 18.4 cmWEIGHT 3,391 gCondition: Good condition with some wear and minor rubbing to inlays, small dents and nicks here and there, light scratches, the base slightly loose.
TAKEYASU: AN IRON KARASU-TENGU MENPO (FACE MASK)By Naka Hachiman Minamoto Takeyasu, signed Naka Hachiman Minamoto Takeyasu, nanajukyu-sai tsukuru koreJapan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Finely cast and forged in 5 sections with a large and detachable nose plate above a stiff-bristle mustache, the lacquered Karasu-tengu applied with an inome design ase-nagashi and an odayori no kugi under the chin, the cheeks applied with bent anchoring posts below the cheek ridge and flanked by ear-shaped ear guards, all above the four-lame yodarekake lacquered red and laced blue. Signed under the chin, 'Naka Hachiman Minamoto Takeyasu, nanajukyu-sai tsukuru kore' 中八幡源武保, 七十九才造之 [This is made by Naka Hachiman Minamoto Takeyasu, at the age of 79].HEIGHT 21.5 cm WEIGHT 493 gCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, light surface scratches, the lacquer with expected age cracks as well as minor flaking and rubbing.Masks have long played an important role in Japanese culture: in religious ceremonies, dance, Noh theater, and military costume. For samurai, masks served as a principal face defense and helped secure the helmet to the head more firmly. The majority of masks were half-length (mempo), covering the nose and the face below the eyes. Their iron surfaces are either lacquered or a dark russet finish; the interiors are usually lacquered red.Auction comparison:Compare a closely related tengu mempo, dated 18th-19th century, at Christie's, Japanese Art & Design Including Arts of The Samurai, 9 November 2011, London, lot 390 (sold for GBP 5,000).
A SHIHANBATA (MILITARY BANNER) WITH THE FUJIWARA CLAN MONJapan, mid-Edo period (1615-1868)The silk banner of shihanbata form, hemmed to one side, with a horizontal pale blue-green stripe against white ground with the character 内 containing the sagarifuji (“falling wisteria”) mon, associated with the Fujiwara clan, the top corner with the character 大.SIZE 69 x 40 cm, SIZE incl. frame 82 x 54 cmCondition: Good condition with some light soiling and few small tears, particularly along the edges.Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Association for the Research and Preservation of Japanese Helmets and Armor (The Nihon Katchu Bugu Kenkyu Hozon Kai—NKBKHK) dated 10 October 2021, which certifies the present lot as a precious artifact.Battle flags were used by samurai to identify their troops when engaged in battle or during processions.The Fujiwara clan, associated with this banner, was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. They held the title of Ason.Museum comparison:Compare a related military banner (jinmaku) with falling wisteria mon in the Art Gallery of South Australia, accession number 20167A29.
A RARE LACQUERED PAULOWNIA WOOD KOTO WITH PEACOCKSJapan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)Superbly decorated in gold and iro-e takamaki-e and aogai inlay against a wood grain ground with a dense and colorful composition of two peacocks above a gushing stream amid rocks and flowering peony below two fluttering butterflies, the ends with brocade as well as gold takamaki-e prunus blossoms with bone-inlaid centers, one end further lacquered in gold hiramaki-e with waterwheels.LENGTH 122 cmCondition: Overall good condition, minor wear, traces of use, small chips and nicks, light scratches, few small losses and holes due to worm or insect activity, flaking and minor losses to lacquer, one foot and some bridges (ji) lost, the underside with few minor old repairs. Provenance: From an old French private collection. The koto is a Japanese plucked half-tube zither instrument, and the national instrument of Japan. It is derived from the Chinese zheng and se, and similar to the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, the Vietnamese dan tranh, the Sundanese kacapi and the Kazakhstan jetigen. Koto are made from Paulownia wood (Paulownia tomentosa, known as kiri). Museum comparison: Compare a closely related koto, dated c. 1891, from the Wakamura workshop, similarly decorated in takamaki-e with roosters and flowers, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 69.271.3.Auction comparison:Compare a closely related koto, similarly lacquered with roosters, chrysanthemum, and butterflies, 105 cm long, at Galerie Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 3 December 2021, Vienna, lot 178 (sold for 10,112 EUR).
HAMANO YASUYUKI: A FINE HAMANO SCHOOL SHIBUICHI KOZUKA DEPICTING KANZAN AND JITTOKU ON A MOONLIT NIGHT By Hamano Nara Yasuyuki (1736-1836), signed Yasuyuki and sealed YasuyukiJapan, Hamano school, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The shibuichi kozuka very finely worked in iro-e takazogan of gold, silver, and copper depicting Kanzan and Jittoku holding a scroll and standing beneath a tall pine, etched with fine katakiribori, on a cloudy moonlit night. The reverse incised with wavy lines, signed YASUYUKI and sealed.HEIGHT 9.7 cmWEIGHT 27 gWith a fitted tomobako storage box inscribed on the reverse of the lid naming the artist, and signed by the collector Zaiya, a name used by Torigoe Kazutaro, dated 1967. Torigoe Kazutaro was an expert of Japanese swords, writing several books on swords and sword fittings in the 1960s and 1970s. Since his death, his large collection of swords and sword fittings have spread far and wide, easily recognizable by the inscribed tomobako boxes bearing his red-stamp seal.Condition: Very good condition with only minor wear and a few light nicks to edges.The artist is listed in the Haynes Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists on p. 2224 (H 11367.0). He was a student of Toyama Naoyuki. He later studied with Hamano Naoyuki and travelled in the Osaka and Akashi regions. After the age of 40 he settled in Tokushima and was retained by the Hachisuka family as master metalworker.
A PAIR OF GILT BRONZE BUDDHIST RITUAL OBJECTS, KATSUMA AND RINPO, WITH MATCHING LOTUS TRAYS, KAMAKURAJapan, 13th century, Kamakura period (1185-1333)Each of typical form, with finely carved and engraved lotus decorations and skillfully gilded. Each supported on a similarly crafted tray in the form of a lotus blossom with a foliate rim and raised central section. DIAMETER 14.8 cm (the trays) and 15.1 cm (the rinpo), WIDTH 15 cm (the katsuma)WEIGHT (total) 2,800 gCondition: Each in very good condition with some wear, minor casting flaws, rubbing to gilt, light scratches, minuscule nicks. Provenance: From an old French private collection. The form of the katsuma, sometimes referred to as a cross-shaped vajra, is thought to have originated from a projectile weapon used in ancient India. This katsuma would have been placed at the four corners of a mandala during Buddhistic ceremony.The rinpo, a bronze ritual object connected with Esoteric Buddhism, symbolizes the Wheel of the Law (dharmachakra). In Buddhist texts and rituals, the phrase 'turning the wheel of the law' refers to the act of teaching by the Buddha Shakyamuni. Each of the eight spokes and eight corners represents one of the moral admonitions of the Noble Eightfold Path, and the central section depicts a lotus flower with eight petals.Museum comparison:Compare a closely related gilt bronze katsuma in the Tokyo National Museum. Compare a related gilt bronze rinpo in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2015.300.296.Auction comparison:Compare a closely related katsuma, dated 14th-15th century, at Sotheby's, The Edith & Stuart Cray Welch Collection, 25 October 2023, London, lot 54 (estimate GBP 8,000-10,000).
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAIJapan, late Edo period (1615-1868) to early Meiji period (1868-1912)Finely cast in multiple sections, Amida seated on a lotus dais supported by an elaborate, multi-tiered pedestal and flanked by an openwork vine kohai (nimbus) with gilt lotus blossoms. Amida is seated in dhyanasana, hands resting in mida no jouin (dhyana mudra), wearing monastic robes falling elegantly in voluminous folds and open at the chest. His face bearing a serene expression with heavy-lidded eyes, butterfly lips, a central byakugo (urna) flanked by long pendulous lobes, his hair arranged in tight curls over the domed ushnisha.HEIGHT 26.6 cmWEIGHT 2,604 gCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, minor casting irregularities, small nicks, and light scratches, and drilled to the base for mounting. The bronze is covered in a rich, naturally grown dark patina with some malachite encrustations.The sculpture represents Amitabha, known in Japanese as Amida Nyorai, or the Buddha of Limitless Light. Amitabha reigns over the Western Pure Land, a paradise to which anyone is welcomed if they faithfully and sincerely incant his name. This place of salvation became central to the Jodo [lit. Pure Land] sect of Buddhism. Propounded in 1175 by the monk Honen, the accessibility of such tenets of redemption allowed this form of Buddhism to proliferate across the nation and feudal classes of Japan. Often depicted with an elaborate mandala, the boat-shaped halo is said to remind his followers that he serves as a guide for them to cross the ocean of suffering which contaminates the living.
A CYPRESS WOOD FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAI, HEIAN TO EARLY KAMAKURAJapan, 11th-12th century, late Heian (794-1185) to early Kamakura period (1185-1333)Finely carved from a hollowed section of hinoki (cypress) wood in yosegi-zukuri with traces of lacquer and gilding in a classic Heian standing pose with his right arm raised and left arm lowered in what was likely raigo-in (vitarka mudra). Amida is wearing monastic robes, his fukuken'e descending from the shoulders and forming a series of folds over the abdomen, the kun with typical Y-shaped and vertical pleats. The soft features of his face bearing a serene expression, subtly smiling lips, elongated lobes, and hair arranged in spiral curls; his eyes were once decorated with inlays and now open to the hollow interior giving the piece a striking presence combined with the well-worn nature of the wood.HEIGHT 51.5 cmCondition: Extensive wear commensurate with age, the wood with natural imperfections including signs of insect activity, expected age cracks, losses, remnants of old repairs and resin residue, the hands and feet lost.Provenance: From a French private collection.The present figure has characteristics of both Heian and early Kamakura sculptures. Yosegi-zukuri was a technique adopted in Japan from Indian and Chinese artists and became popular during the 10th century. The elegant folds of the robes and the inlaid eyes come from techniques which became widely used during the Kamakura period. The combination of these two elements suggests a dating to a period of overlap between the two periods.The sculpture represents Amitabha, known in Japanese as Amida Nyorai, or the Buddha of Limitless Light. Amitabha reigns over the Western Pure Land, a paradise to which anyone is welcomed if they faithfully and sincerely incant his name. This place of salvation became central to the Jodo [lit. Pure Land] sect of Buddhism. Propounded in 1175 by the monk Honen, the accessibility of such tenets of redemption allowed this form of Buddhism to proliferate across the nation and feudal classes of Japan. Often depicted with an elaborate mandala, the boat-shaped halo is said to remind his followers that he serves as a guide for them to cross the ocean of suffering which contaminates the living.Yosegi-zukuri, or the joined wood-block construction, is a sculpting method in which several rectangular blocks of wood are individually selected and carved into shapes. Yosegi-zukuri, together with ichiboku-zukuri (single block construction), are the two main techniques associated with wood sculpture in Japan. There were several advantages to a sculpture made from multiple blocks of wood. It was much lighter than one carved out of a single block of wood. The technique also helped to minimise the cracking of the wood caused by the outside layer drying faster than the core of the sculpture. In addition, it was faster, as it allowed the individual blocks to be carved simultaneously by several artisans specialising in particular kinds of carving, which in turn led to the development of an assembly-line production and a true studio.Museum comparison:Compare a closely related gilt and lacquer wood figure of amida with preserved inlaid eyes, 96 cm high, dated to the 13th century, in the British Museum, accession number 1945,0419.1Auction comparison:Compare a related gilt-lacquer wood figure of amida standing slightly taller on a lotus base, dated to the late Heian period, at Christie's, Japanese and Korean Art, 18 April 2018, New York, lot 5 (sold for USD 150,000).
A LACQUERED PAULOWNIA WOOD HIBACHI (BRAZIER)Japan, late Edo period (1615-1868)The wood ground finely decorated hiramaki-e with some nashiji to depict blossoming kiku (chrysanthemum). The hollowed interior with a copper liner. The underside marked. DIAMETER 29 cmCondition: Good condition with some wear and traces of use, minor nicks, light scratches, minor losses to lacquer. The copper liner with some malachite encrustations. The inset wood base lost. The hibachi (lit. fire bowl) is a traditional Japanese heating device. It is a brazier which is either round, cylindrical, or box-shaped, open-topped container, made from or lined with a heatproof material and designed to hold burning charcoal. It is believed hibachi date back to the Heian period. It is filled with incombustible ash, and charcoal sits in the center of the ash. To handle the charcoal, a pair of metal chopsticks called hibashi (lit. 'fire chopsticks') is used in a way similar to Western fire irons or tongs. Hibachi were used for heating, not for cooking. It heats by radiation, and is too weak to warm a whole room, often disappointing foreigners who expected such power. Sometimes, people placed a tetsubin (iron kettle) over the hibachi to boil water for tea. Later, by the 1900s, some cooking was also done over the hibachi.
A LARGE RINPA-STYLE LACQUERED PAULOWNIA WOOD HIBACHI (BRAZIER)Japan, late Edo period (1615-1868)The wood ground finely decorated in gold and colored takamaki-e with aogai and mitsuda (pewter) inlays to depict two depict various opulent flowers. The hollowed interior with a copper liner.DIAMETER 43 cmCondition: Good condition with some wear and traces of use, minor nicks, light scratches, minor losses to lacquer and inlays. The copper liner with some malachite encrustations.The hibachi (lit. fire bowl) is a traditional Japanese heating device. It is a brazier which is either round, cylindrical, or box-shaped, open-topped container, made from or lined with a heatproof material and designed to hold burning charcoal. It is believed hibachi date back to the Heian period. It is filled with incombustible ash, and charcoal sits in the center of the ash. To handle the charcoal, a pair of metal chopsticks called hibashi (lit. 'fire chopsticks') is used in a way similar to Western fire irons or tongs. Hibachi were used for heating, not for cooking. It heats by radiation, and is too weak to warm a whole room, often disappointing foreigners who expected such power. Sometimes, people placed a tetsubin (iron kettle) over the hibachi to boil water for tea. Later, by the 1900s, some cooking was also done over the hibachi.Auction comparison:Compare a related paulownia wood hibachi, dated late 19th century, Meiji period, 89 cm long, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Works of Art, 17 September 2013, New York, lot 3118 (sold for USD 4,375).
A LACQUERED WOOD SHAMISENJapan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)The lacquered wood ground of the body, neck, and headstock all finely decorated in gold and iro-e takamaki-e and hiramaki-e with leafy flowering chrysanthemums, many of the blossoms with inlays of bone to the center. The base of the body mounted with a copper foot fitted with a gilt-copper bird carrying a cross in its beak. LENGTH 65.4 cmCondition: Good condition with some wear, light scratches, minuscule nicks, minor flaking to lacquer, the catskin covering the front with a repaired tear. Provenance: From an old French private collection. The shamisen (lit. 'three strings'), known as samisen in Kyoto and Osaka, is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument sanxian. It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The construction of the shamisen varies in shape, depending on the genre in which it is used. The instrument used to accompany kabuki has a thin neck, facilitating the agile and virtuosic requirements of that genre. The one used to accompany puppet plays and folk songs has a longer and thicker neck instead, to match the more robust music of those genres.Museum comparison:Compare a closely related wood shamisen decorated with similarly lacquered chrysanthemums, made by Takechi Matsukawa for the Wakamura workshop, dated 1891, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 69.271.2.
A RARE EGGSHELL LACQUER MINIATURE TEA HOUSEJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)The charming miniature house is elaborately made of sixteen fitted components: two large dishes, five miniature trays, six boxes with covers, the tea house, its foundation, and the roof pinnacle. Finely formed, the exterior is covered in eggshell lacquer with black and gold lacquer trim and is decorated with sparrows and cranes amid bamboo and pine; four boxes are similarly decorated. The two dishes forming the two-tiered roof are covered in black lacquer along the interior and decorated with a long-tailed rooster (onagadori) beneath pine trees with hens and chicks. The largest boxes with covers, fitted within the foundation of the tea house, are covered in vibrant tsugaru lacquer.HEIGHT 23.3 cmCondition: Good condition with wear, some flaking, small scratches, light nicks, and losses to lacquer along the edges. Overall presenting very well.With an associated wood tomobako box.Museum comparison:Compare a near-identical eggshell lacquer miniature tea house, dated to the Meiji period, in the Museum fuer Lackkunst.
A RARE GOLD LACQUER FOUR-CASE INRO DEPICTING ASAHINA SABURO AND AN ONI ENGAGED IN KUBIHIKI (NECK WRESTLING)UnsignedJapan, 17th-18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Of upright rectangular form and oval section, the four-case inro bearing a fine gold kinji ground and lacquered in iro-e hiramaki-e of, as well as kirigane, to depict the legendary warrior, Asahina Saburo, known for his prowess and superhuman strength, engaged in kubihiki (neck wrestling) with a horned oni. Each pressing one foot against the others in an attempt to pull against the knotted rope around their necks, Asahina appearing confident as the oni strains. The interior compartments of nashiji with gold fundame edges. With an amber glass bead ojime.HEIGHT 6.3 cm, LENGTH 4.9 cmCondition: Good condition with wear consistent with age. Typical dents and losses to edges and cord runner, light surface scratches, and some losses to kirigane.Provenance: Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes, Paris, September-October 1942. Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above. Two collector's labels to the interior, 'L,524' and 'X.' Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects from their collection to the Belgian city of Leuven's museum for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privebezit ('Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven'), and in 1967 they lent around thirty Japanese objects to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels for their exhibition Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen ('Japanese Art in Belgian Private Collections').
A RARE MINIATURE IVORY SAGEMONO SET DEPICTING SHISHI AMONG PEONY, WITH EN SUITE NETSUKE AND OJIMEThe netsuke signed KoichiJapan, 19th centuryThe three case miniature inro of upright rectangular form with rounded edges and oval section, finely carved in relief with three shishi among blossoming peonies and scrolling clouds. With a matching bone or antler ojime carved in the form of a seated shishi cub and the similarly carved ivory netsuke in the form of a recumbent shishi with a long flowing mane and scrolling tail, signed at the base KOICHI.HEIGHT 4.1 cm, LENGTH 2.8 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor wear and light staining.Provenance: Old German private collection, collected in the 1970s and 1980s.Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number DE-K-221108-381). This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.
A GILT LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF JUICHIMEN KANNON, MUROMACHIJapan, 16th century, late Muromachi period (1338-1573) Finely carved, the four-armed bodhisattva clothed clasping two hands in mida no jouin (dhyana mudra) and holding an alms bowl, clothed in voluminous robes falling in elegant folds and opened at the chest. Kannon's face set with a serene expression with heavy-lidded eyes, a circular rock crystal byakugo (urna) flanked by sinuous brows, butterfly lips, and long pendulous lobes. The head adorned with an eleven-headed crown with a metal inlay and crested by a circular rock crystal finial.HEIGHT 33.3 cm (excl. stand), 39.5 cm (incl. stand)Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, with wear, losses, some flaking, light scratches, small nicks, expected age cracks, presenting overall very well. Provenance: Kunsthaus Lempertz, 12 June 1993, lot 1155. From a private collection in Germany. An old label to the base, 'Japan Senju Kannon Bosatsu.' Copy of the old invoice from Kunsthaus Lempertz, dated 14 June 1993 and listing the sale price of DEM 10,580, accompanies this lot.Mounted on a wood base. Juichimen Kannon (lit. 'eleven-headed Kannon'), is an important bodhisattva in the Esoteric schools of Buddhism. Atop the deity's own head are eleven additional heads. Ten of these take the form of bodhisattvas and represent the ten stages toward enlightenment. The topmost head is that of Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha), the Buddha from whom Kannon emanates.Auction comparison:Compare a related figure of Juichimen Kannon, dated to the 16th century, at Christie's, Asobi: Ingenious Creativity, Japanese Works of Art from Antiquity to Contemporary and Ceramics from the Collection of Bernard Leach, 15 October 2013, London, lot 11 (sold for GBP 18,750).
A FINE AND RARE LACQUERED AND INLAID PAULOWNIA WOOD MINIATURE KOTOJapan, 19th centuryFinely decorated on the sides in iro-e hiramaki-e and takamaki-e on dark wood fittings which frame the light kiri (paulownia) wood body of the instrument. Each side depicts an idyllic ocean view, one with several boats coming into the harbor and the other with a bridge from a palatial structure extending over a peninsula. Each end decorated with tortoise shell inlays within elaborately patterned enamel and bone-inlaid frames with an exterior band of gilt foliate decorations. The thirteen strings extend over the arched body across a bridge on either side.LENGTH 33 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear, three trim feet lost.Provenance: From an old French private collection.The koto is a Japanese plucked half-tube zither instrument, and the national instrument of Japan. It is derived from the Chinese zheng and se, and similar to the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, the Vietnamese dan tranh, the Sundanese kacapi and the Kazakhstan jetigen. Koto are made from Paulownia wood (Paulownia tomentosa, known as kiri). The most common type uses 13 strings strung over movable bridges used for tuning, different pieces possibly requiring different tuning.Museum comparison:Compare a related miniature koto, 49.5 cm long, dated to the mid to late 19th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 89.4.112.
A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAI, LATE EDOJapan, 19th century, late Edo period (1615-1868)Covered in black, red, and olive-brown lacquer seated in royal ease (lalitasana) on a lotus pedestal supported by a compressed orb above a tiered pedestal with lotus petals, diapered ground, and chased gilt-metal supports, Amida resting his left leg on a finely formed lotus petal bending beneath his foot. Assembled in yosegi-zukuri and finely carved, Amida is holding his left hand semui-in (abhaya mudra), the other lowered on his lap, wearing flowing robes opening at the chest, cascading in voluminous folds, and held by a gilt-lacquer clasp decorated with lotus petals and nyoi scepter heads. His face set with a serene expression with downcast eyes and rock crystal byakugo (urna), his hair arranged in tight curls over the domed ushnisha with a further rock crystal inlay.HEIGHT 55 cm (figure), 78 cm (incl. stand)Condition: Good condition with minor wear, small nicks, light scratches, and a few repairs to the hands and pedestal. Overall presenting beautifully. Provenance: From a noted French private collection.The sculpture represents Amitabha, known in Japanese as Amida Nyorai, or the Buddha of Limitless Light. Amitabha reigns over the Western Pure Land, a paradise to which anyone is welcomed if they faithfully and sincerely incant his name. This place of salvation became central to the Jodo [lit. Pure Land] sect of Buddhism. Propounded in 1175 by the monk Honen, the accessibility of such tenets of redemption allowed this form of Buddhism to proliferate across the nation and feudal classes of Japan. Often depicted with an elaborate mandala, the boat-shaped halo is said to remind his followers that he serves as a guide for them to cross the ocean of suffering which contaminates the living.Yosegi-zukuri, or joined wood-block construction, is a sculpting method in which several rectangular blocks of wood are individually selected and carved into shapes. Yosegi-zukuri, together with ichiboku-zukuri (single block construction), are the two main techniques associated with wood sculpture in Japan. There were several advantages of a sculpture made from multiple blocks of wood. It was much lighter than one carved out of a single block of wood. The technique also helped to minimize the cracking of the wood caused by the outside layer drying faster than the core of the sculpture.Museum comparison:Compare a related lacquered wood figure of Amida Nyorai, dated to the late Edo period, 19th century, in the Harvard Art Museum, accession number 1981.187.Auction comparison:Compare a related gold-lacquered wood figure of a seated Amida, of similar size (90 cm), at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 2 December 2022, Vienna, lot 36 (sold for EUR 18,200).
A RARE GOLD LACQUER KOGO AND COVER WITH FISHING NETS AND PLOVERS (CHIDORI)Japan, late 16th-17th century, Momoyama (1573-1615) to early Edo period (1615-1868)Of circular form, bearing a rich nashiji ground, the overhanging cover finely decorated in gold and black takamaki-e with black kirikane and gold hiramaki-e to depict fishing nets raised along the rocky shore with plovers flying above, a few birds also painted to the sides of the box, the base and interior of nashiji with gold fundame edges. DIAMETER 8.7 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear, two small chips with old repairs to the rim, few tiny dents, nicks, and light scratches mostly to the interior and base.Provenance: Galerie Souquet, Paris, France, 15 March 1952. Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above. Old labels to base and interior. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects from their collection to the Belgian city of Leuven's museum for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privebezit ('Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven'), and in 1967 they lent around thirty Japanese objects to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels for their exhibition Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen ('Japanese Art in Belgian Private Collections').Chidori, literally “a thousand birds,” are sandy, grayish brown birds with white underparts, long legs and relatively short bills found throughout most of the world. In Japanese poetry, the focus is on their songs, or voices—in this case, soft, high-pitched vocalizations. In art, the plover might appear on a woman's garment or a lacquer inro against a background of fishing nets or paired with jakago.
A VERY LARGE AND FINE GILT WOOD FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAIJapan, 18th-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Finely carved and assembled in yosegi-zukuri technique, the tall figure standing on a lotus dais supported by an elaborately tiered pedestal. Amida is wearing a loose-fitting monastic robe draped over both shoulders falling in beautiful folds and opening at the chest. His hands are held in raigou-in (vitarka mudra), welcoming the dead into his Pure Land. His serene face with heavy-lidded downcast eyes below gently arched eyebrows centered by a rock crystal byakugo (urna), a broad nose, full lips, and a thin painted mustache, flanked by long pendulous pierced earlobes. His hair is arranged in tight curls over the domed ushnisha with a further rock crystal inlay. The kohai (aureole) behind him with swirling clouds and a central lotus flower from which the rays of the kohai extend. The lotus dais resting on a compressed globular section carved in openwork with a Dharmachakra and foliage over a leafy base supported by a shishi seated in a recumbent pose atop an elaborately stepped circular pedestal with lotus and foliate designs.HEIGHT 55.3 cm (figure), 134 cm (incl. stand)Condition: Expected wear, light scratches, expected age cracks, some flaking, and repairs to Amida's hands, the tiered base, and kohai, otherwise presenting very well overall.Provenance: From a Dutch private collection.The sculpture represents Amitabha, known in Japanese as Amida Nyorai, or the Buddha of Limitless Light. Amitabha reigns over the Western Pure Land, a paradise to which anyone is welcomed if they faithfully and sincerely incant his name. This place of salvation became central to the Jodo [lit. Pure Land] sect of Buddhism. Propounded in 1175 by the monk Honen, the accessibility of such tenets of redemption allowed this form of Buddhism to proliferate across the nation and feudal classes of Japan. Often depicted with an elaborate mandala, the boat-shaped halo is said to remind his followers that he serves as a guide for them to cross the ocean of suffering which contaminates the living.Yosegi-zukuri, or joined wood-block construction, is a sculpting method in which several rectangular blocks of wood are individually selected and carved into shapes. Yosegi-zukuri, together with ichiboku-zukuri (single block construction), are the two main techniques associated with wood sculpture in Japan. There were several advantages of a sculpture made from multiple blocks of wood. It was much lighter than one carved out of a single block of wood. The technique also helped to minimize the cracking of the wood caused by the outside layer drying faster than the core of the sculpture.Auction comparison:Compare a related gilt wood statue of Amida Nyorai standing similarly in raigou-in, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 27 May 2022, Vienna, lot 88 (sold for EUR 35,392).
A VERY RARE AND LARGE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAI, EDOJapan, 18th to 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Finely cast in multiple sections, Amida standing on a lotus dais supported by a round pedestal with hands raised in raigo-in (vitarka mudra). He is wearing heavy monastic robes falling in elegant, voluminous folds and opening at the chest. His face bearing a serene expression with heavy-lidded eyes, sinuous brows and a raised byakugo (urna), his hair arranged in tight curls over the domed ushnisha, flanked by beautiful kohai (nimbus) exuding rays.HEIGHT 35.4 cm (figure), 65.6 cm (incl. stand)WEIGHT 7,848 gCondition: Good condition with minor wear, light nicks, small scratches, some rubbing, and repairs to the neck and hands. The bronze is covered in a rich, dark patina. Provenance: Ex-collection of Anton Exner, Vienna, Austria. Each section painted in red 'EX5.' Anton Exner (1882-1952) was the most important dealer, collector, and assessor of East Asian art in Vienna during the interwar period. His collection included all branches of Asian art, from all epochs, and particularly Chinese and Japanese works. During a long sojourn through Canada and the USA from 1908 to 1910, he made first contacts with Chinese dealers and subsequently acquired numerous antiques at various Asian ports, which formed the basis for his future business activities. From then on, he went almost every year on buying trips to the Far East. The Austrian auction house Dorotheum appointed him as a sworn assessor of Asian art, a position he held for c. 25 years. From the early 1920s onwards, he lent objects to most major exhibitions of Asian art held in Austria, and eventually gifted a large part of his personal collection, numbering several thousand objects, to the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, where it is on permanent exhibition to this day.The sculpture represents Amitabha, known in Japanese as Amida Nyorai, or the Buddha of Limitless Light. Amitabha reigns over the Western Pure Land, a paradise to which anyone is welcomed if they faithfully and sincerely incant his name. This place of salvation became central to the Jodo [lit. Pure Land] sect of Buddhism. Propounded in 1175 by the monk Honen, the accessibility of such tenets of redemption allowed this form of Buddhism to proliferate across the nation and feudal classes of Japan. Often depicted with an elaborate mandala, the boat-shaped halo is said to remind his followers that he serves as a guide for them to cross the ocean of suffering which contaminates the living.Japanese gilt bronzes depicting Amida are to be considered extremely rare. Museum comparison:Compare a related earlier gilt bronze figure of Amida, dated 14th-15th century, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), accession no. 1975.268.168a, b.
A SUIT OF ARMOR WITH AN EBOSHI KABUTO WITH PARCEL-GILT RABBIT MAEDATEJapan, Edo period (1615-1868)The components laced in blue, white, orange, green, and brown, and fitted with iron, sentoku, and gilt-metal hardware. The armor comprising a black-lacquered eboshi kabuto with a parcel-gilt copper maedate in the form of a rabbit – its plump body evocative of the moon – crouching amid crashing waves and a purple-laced four-lame shikoro; a lacquered iron menpo with red interior and lips as well as silver teeth, further with facial hair and a four-lame yodare-kake; a russet-iron do with printed leather and seven sets of five-lame kusazuri; a pair of black-lacquered six-lame sode; and pairs of kote, haidate, and suneate with iron kusari and plates. Condition: Good condition with some wear, light scratches, minor losses, the lacquer with expected minor cracks and minor flaking. The helmet with minor touch-ups to lacquer. With a wood storage box.
A SUIT OF ARMOR WITH A SUJIBACHI KABUTO SIGNED YOSHIMICHI AND WITH SWALLOW MAEDATEThe kabuto signed YoshimichiJapan, Edo period (1615-1868)The components laced predominantly in blue and fitted with gilt metal hardware, some in the form of a three-striped (Maru-ni-mitsuhikiryo) mon associated with the Ashina and Wada clans. The armor comprising a sixty-two-plate sujibachi kabuto with a five-tiered parcel-gilt chrysanthemum tehen kanamono with foliate decoration, the mabizashi fitted with a black-lacquered swallow maedate, flanked by the fukigaeshi and two-lame shikoro, the interior of the bowl signed YOSHIMICHI; a red and russet-lacquered menpo; a black-lacquered do with an uketsubo (banner holder) at the back and seven sets of five-lame kusazuri; a pair of black-lacquered six-lame sode; and pairs of kote, haidate, and suneate with iron kusari and plates. Condition: Good condition with some wear, light scratches, minor losses, the lacquer with expected minor cracks and flaking. The maedate with minor old repairs. With a wood storage box. Auction comparison:Compare a related helmet signed Yoshimichi saku and also with a swallow maedate, dated to the Muromachi period, early 16th century, at Christie's, 9 June 2004, London, lot 40 (sold for 5,975 GBP).
A NANBAN-DO GUSOKU ('WESTERN STYLE ARMOR') DEPICTING FUDO MYO-OJapan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The components laced predominantly in blue and fitted with gilt-metal hardware. The armor comprising a thirty-two-plate sujibachi kabuto with a four-tiered chrysanthemum-form tehen kanamono, the mabizashi decorated in silver and gold nunomezogan with two confronted sinuous dragons centered by a tama, the fukigaeshi with gold-lacquered meyui mon, centered by a parcel-gilt maedate in the form of a fierce horned demon with protruding ears and kuwagata, all above the five-lame shikoro; an iron menpo with three-lame yodarekake; an iron do superbly decorated in silver and gold nunomezogan with Fudo Myo-o flanked by his attendants Kongara and Seitaka, fitted with seven sections of five-lame kusazuri; a pair of iron sode comprising a large plate with silvered and gilt raised decoration of the crescent moon, partly obscured by thick scrolling clouds above a single smaller lame; and pairs of kote, haidate, and suneate with iron kusari and plates.Condition: Very good condition with minor surface wear, light scratches, small dents. Museum comparison:Compare a closely related nanban-do gusoku, also depicting Fudo Myo-o, included in the exhibition 4000 Jahre Ostasiatische Kunst, Minoritenkirche Krems-Stein, 12 May-15 October 1978, and illustrated in the exhibition catalogue by Herbert Fux, cat. no. 520, color plate XIV.Auction comparison:Compare a related suit of armor, also with a do decorated in flat inlay to depict Fudo Myo-o, dated to the 18th century, at Christie's, 11 December 2018, lot 4 (sold for 75,000 GBP).
A RARE BLACK AND GOLD LACQUERED BOX AND COVER WITH TAKARAMONOJapan, late 16th-17th century, Momoyama (1573-1615) to early Edo period (1615-1868)Of square form with rounded corners, the lustrous black ground finely decorated in gold hiramaki-e and e-nashiji, the top of the cover with a central design of nyoi (reishi), surrounded by stylized flowerheads and clouds as well as treasures including tama jewels, a mallet, a fan, a tassel, and scroll-form tables, all above crashing waves and a band of stylized clouds encircling the base. The interior and base with rich nashiji, the interior further with gold fundame edges. SIZE 3.8 x 6.5 x 6.5 cmCondition: Good condition with expected surface wear, minor rubbing, the interior with few minuscule chips and tiny flakes to edges, the base with few small nicks, light scratches, and remnants of adhesive.Provenance: Spink & Son, London, United Kingdom, 1 April 1968. Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above. Old label to base. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects from their collection to the Belgian city of Leuven's museum for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privebezit ('Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven'), and in 1967 they lent around thirty Japanese objects to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels for their exhibition Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen ('Japanese Art in Belgian Private Collections').Auction comparison:Compare a related lacquer kogo with a similar design, dated to the Momoyama period, at Christie's, Japanese Art & Design, 16 June 1999, London, lot 163 (sold for GBP 2,185).
A MYOCHIN STYLE IRON KAWARI KABUTO IN THE FORM OF A TENGUJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912) or laterConstructed of eight plates riveted together forming a broad helmet bowl with a low profile, the front plate hammered and carved to form the face of a fierce tengu, the eyebrows boldly carved in swirling whorls above black and gold lacquered eyes, the mabizashi in the form of the tengu's beak with pierced nostrils for ventilation, flanked by lacquered fukigaeshi, each with a mon (crest) of three wavy stripes, all above the five-lame shikoro lacquered brown to the exterior and gold to the interior.HEIGHT 27 cm, WIDTH 32 cmWEIGHT 2,177 gCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, light surface scratches, the lacquer with expected age cracks as well as minor flaking and rubbing.Kawari kabuto (lit. 'transformed helmet') refers to strange or eccentric helmets. During the Momoyama period of intense civil warfare, kabuto were made to a simpler design lacking many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets. To offset the plain, utilitarian form of the new helmet, and to provide visibility and presence on the battlefield, armorers began to build fantastic shapes on top of the simple helmets in harikake (papier-mâche mixed with lacquer over a wooden armature), though some were constructed entirely of iron. These shapes mimicked forms from Japanese culture and mythology, including fish, cow horns, the head of the god of longevity, bolts of silk, head scarves, Ichi-no-Tani canyon, and axe heads, among many others. Some forms were realistically rendered, while others took on a very futuristic, modernist feel.Auction comparison:Compare a closely related iron kawari kabuto in the form of a tengu, dated 18th century, by Myochin Yoshisuke, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 28 October 2020, Vienna, lot 85 (sold for EUR 20,224).
A FINE AND RARE BLACK LACQUER KATANA-KAKE (SWORD STAND)Japan, 19th century Comprising a lower storage section with three drawers and a removable door, each mounted with a movable gilt-copper pull, supporting a rack for three swords. Entirely covered in black roiro lacquer and finely decorated in iro-e takamaki-e, subtle textures, and fine inlay of glass, ceramic, shell, horn, and hardstone with treasures including a Tang-style foliate-rimmed bronze mirror with ho-o (phoenix) decoration tied with a red-lacquered tasseled rope as well as rings, jewels, and shells. SIZE 43 x 44 x 22 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, few minuscule nicks, occasional light scratches, few tiny flakes.
A KOTO KATANA IN KOSHIRAE, THE BLADE ATTRIBUTED TO KAGA KUNI JU KIYOMITSU, WITH INAMI HAKUSUI KICHO ('PRECIOUS') WHITE PAPERAttributed to Kaga kuni ju Kiyomitsu, unsigned Japan, the blade c. 1504, the mounting Edo period (1615-1868)The blade: Shinogi-zukuri with iori mune, chu-kissaki, and torii-sori. The hamon is chu-suguha and the hada is itame mokume. The nakago is mumei, suriage with a kiri tip, with three mekugi-ana, and katte-sagari yasurime. The mounting: The koshirae comprising a roiro-lacquered saya, rayskin tsuka with silvery-black tsuka-ito, gilt-copper habaki, gilt-metal menuki with floral mon, iron tsuba, and shibuichi fuchi-kashira. The tsuba and fuchi-kashira are each finely decorated in gold, silver, and shakudo takazogan with shogi (Japanese chess) pieces. With a Kicho ('Precious') white paper certificate issued by the Nihonto Kenkyu Hakusuikai (Hakusui Japanese Sword Research Society) on 11 June 1950, signed and sealed by the Society's founder and president Inami Hakusui, confirming the authenticity of the present blade, dating it to around 1504, and attributing it to Kaga kuni ju Kiyomitsu. NAGASA 70.8 cm, TOTAL LENGTH 99 cmCondition: The blade in very good condition, commensurate with age, with minor wear, few tiny nicks, and small blisters here and there. The mounting in good condition, with minor wear overall, the saya with few shallow chips, minuscule nicks, and light scratches. Provenance: Dorotheum, 27 April 1993, Vienna, lot 250 (sold for ATS 90,000 or approx. EUR 12,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). German private collection, acquired from the above.
A WAKIZASHI IN FINE SHIBAYAMA-INLAID SAYA WITH SNAKE AND INSECTSJapan, The blade Edo period (1615-1868), the mounting Meiji period (1868-1912)The blade: Shinogi-zukuri with iori mune, the hamon is gunome-midare with nioi, the hada is masame with itame. The silver habaki with diagonal file marks. The mounting: The dark wood kogai inlaid in mother-of-pearl and horn with a butterfly and a beetle. The wood tsuka and saya superbly inlaid in mother-of-pearl, bone, horn, tortoiseshell, and woods with insects including dragonflies, butterflies, a grasshopper, and a mantis, as well as a snake, a lizard and a spider, the kurigata in the form of a cicada, the kashira and kojiri carved with floral designs, the fuchi and koiguchi carved with bands of rinzu. NAGASA 35.5 cm, TOTAL LENGTH 50 cmCondition: Good condition, the blade with minor wear, light scratches, and small blisters here and there, the saya with some wear, light scratches, and few minor losses to inlays. Auction comparison: Compare a tanto with Shibayama-inlaid tsuka and saya at Galerie Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 28 October 2020, Vienna, lot 256 (sold for 8,216 EUR).
FUJIWARA KATSUNORI: A SUPERB IRON TSUBA DEPICTING SCENES FROM NOH THEATRE By Fujiwara Katsunori, signed Fujiwara Katsunori sakuJapan, Tokyo, Meiji period (1868-1912)The iron tsuba in the shape of a Buddhist temple bell crowned with kirin heads, finely worked in iro-e takazogan of gold, silver, copper, shibuichi, and shakudo, depicting a pair of Noh actors from the play Takasago in conversation, the old couple with fans in hand and dressed in mizugoromo decorated with foliate motifs. The reverse alluding to another Noh play, Kiyohime, depicting a Hannaya mask and striker. Signed FUJIWARA KATSUNORI saku [made by Fujiwara Katsunori].HEIGHT 9.5 cm, LENGTH 7.5 cmWEIGHT 124.6 gCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, some light malachite encrustations. This tsuba cleverly juxtaposes the eternal love and devotion imagined in Takasago to the pain of rejection and jealousy in Kiyohime. The two sides of the gong, where Anchin also faces his untimely death, present the range of emotions experienced in love to the viewer. On the one hand, the old couple in Takasago personify divine devotion to each other and on the other hand, Kiyohime alludes to the dangers of jealousy, infatuation, and revenge as if to warn one of the perils of love.The artist is listed in the Haynes Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists on pp. 594 (H 02858.0).Auction comparison:Compare a closely related iron tsuba with similar inlays, by the same artist, signed Fujiwara Katsunori koku, at Christie's, Japanese and Korean Art Online, 27 September 2022, New York, lot 9 (sold for EUR 3,276).
A VERY RARE KAKURE KIRISHITAN (HIDDEN CHRISTIANITY) SILVER KOZUKA DEPICTING DARUMA With inscription Hinputei ka Hokko HitsuJapan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Engraved in kebori with the Zen-patriarch Daruma seated in meditation, looking up at the inscription inlaid in gold above a hazy ground. The reverse with a hossu (ceremonial Buddhist whisk) decorated with hirazogan in suaka (copper) and gold beneath a diagonal straited katakiribori ground hiding a gold inlaid cross. Inscribed on the obverse in gold hirazogan with a circle seal, Hinputei ka Hokko hitsu 貧富亭下、北公筆.HEIGHT 9.8 cmWEIGHT 32.3 gCondition: Excellent condition, minor wear.This is the only appearance of this artist's name. The etymology of his name, literally translating 'Pavilion for the rich and poor,' creates a further mystery in light of the Zen, Buddhist, and Christian emblems which decorate this kozuka. Given the restricted approach to religious freedom within feudalism of the Edo period, the combination of motifs and the unusual etymology behind the artist's name is extremely rare. The maker and owner of this kozuka likely belonged to a small community of Kakure Kirishitan. Kakure Kirishitan ('Hidden Christians') are descendants of the first Japanese converts to Christianity who were driven underground in mid-17th century. During a time when Catholicism was illegal to practice, small communities met in secret, creating unrecognizable Christian icons by concealing them as Buddhist figures; icons, like the Virgin Mary, were molded to look like Kannon or Guanyin. This depiction of Daruma, with his monk robes, possibly represents a Kakure Kirishitan icon of Jesus or possibly John the Baptist, given the shared ascetic lifestyles shared between Daruma and the prophet.
Quadrophenia (1979) British Quad first release film poster the movie based on The Whos rock-opera of the same name, starring Phil Daniels, Sting, Leslie Ash, Ray Winstone, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Condition Report: In excellent condition, only light creasing to edges, some light ageing to edges.
Russ Meyer: Three British Quad Posters includes, Slaves (1984) starring Anouska Hempel; Super Vixens (1975) starring Shari Eubank; and Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens (1981) starring Francesca Kitten Natividad, each folded, 30 x 40 inches. (3) Condition Report: light creasing, overall good conditions, Ultra Vixens (1981) - with clean edge tear to centre l.h. edge.
Mouseman - carved oak figure of a seated Siamese cat, with light blue coloured eyes, carved with mouse signature between legs, by the workshop of Robert Thompson, Kilburn Dimensions: Height: 28cm Length/Width: 12cm Depth/Diameter: 21cmCondition Report:In very good condition with no losses. Small dent to the right ear possibly due to the nature of the grain. Some light scratching. Two compression marks to the top of the back. Please inspect the images.
Steinway & Sons - Model O overstrung Grand Piano serial No 576699, manufactured in Hamburg 2006, with 88 keys (7 octaves) in a mahogany finished case with Steinway square-bottom legs and brass rollers castors, with combination agraffe front and rear duplex scale, treble strings with twelve whole and one-half sizes, bass strings copper wound with a steel core, nickel head tuning pins, Steinway hammers, keys, felts, and dampers, with una-corda, sostenuto and sustain pedals.L 5'10-3/4" W 57-3/4"The Steinway model O grand piano was originally marketed as the living room or miniature grand and is the largest of the small grand pianos manufactured by Steinway. Production of the model O ceased in 1924 and was not brought back into manufacture until 2006 with all the improved technical innovations that have followed.Dimensions: Length/Width: 180cm Depth/Diameter: 147cmCondition Report: This piano has had one owner from new and is being sold on behalf of an estate with no reserve.The action, keys, hammers, dampers and pedals are in excellent condition, showing signs of very little use. It is tuned and plays without faults. See YouTube videoThe finish is excellent with the odd light surface scratch and a few very minor lacquer chips.The case uprights (left and right) when viewing from the front show cracks in the lacquer (as per images) suggesting some movement in the case on the straight edges.
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