Oribe Green runs in a curtain over the pale yellow glaze of this Edo period andon-zara oil dish. It is unglazed on bottom, measuring 8 inches (20 cm) diameter and in excellent condition, enclosed in a custom kiri-wood box.

Attractive Kashmir tea service with handles made in the shape of a serpent. Consisting of a sugar bowl, cream jug and teapot with hinged lid. The metal base, here copper or bronze, was first engraved with special tools to create the design in relief, the grooves were later filled with glass and then embellished with additional engraving and shiny gilding. This technique is called in India "meena" or "meenakari" and was first applied by the Mughal...

A Japanese carved Ivory netsuke of Daikokuten artist signed in very fine condition measuring 6 cemtimeters or 2.5 inches tall. Daikoku is variously considered to be the god of wealth, or of the household, particularly the kitchen. He is recognised by his wide face, smile, and a flat black hat. He is often portrayed holding a golden mallet called a Uchide Nokozuchi, otherwise known as a magic money mallet, and is seen seated on bales of rice, with mice nearby (mice signify plentiful food).

A Japanese Satsuma Dragon Tea set (Shimazo Crest; Shuzan mark, from the Mejii period 1868-1912). The Pot is, 8" high, the Creamer is 5.5", and the Sugar is 7"; all with Lids. Hand painted in colors and gilt with Rakan (Buddhist disciples) and dragons. Pieces signed with mark on the bottom. The Shimazo Crest is also on the Side of the Teapot. There is a chip on the inside lid of the teapot that is not noticeable from the outside, otherwise it is in excellent condition...

A Tang dynasty Changsha bowl, rounded side with deep center and unglazed base, bowl decorated with calligraphy motif in brown color motif, bowl covered with creamy glazed PERIOD : Tang Dynasty (618-906 AD) MEASUREMENTS: 5 cm tall, 14.5 cm wide. CONDITION: a tiny frit to the rim, no chips, cracks, or hairlines and free from restorations.

Beautiful man's short jacket, hand painted on Asa(hemp). It is in excellent conditon, very rare to find this quality in this condition. This type of kimono is becoming very scarce every year.

Description: "Hundreds of monkeys" is only a description for the topic of this master piece. Amid the branches of a peach tree, a lot of monkeys are playing and teasing to each other. The exact numbers of these nimble animals had never been really counted. A deft open-work carving had been done in early 20th century China. Old black paint were faded due to age. An old amber bead was adorned. Width: 3.5cm

Tall Chinese Kangxi Blue & White Porcelain Vase from Shipwreck (30cm)

This very attractive porcelain vase was made during the Kangxi reign (1662 - 1722) of the Qing Dynasty. The surface is profusely decorated in underglaze blue of good colour, the decoration comprising four large panels containing various trees, blossoms and pierced rockwork, as well as smaller panels containing peony and chrysanthemum blossoms, together with geometric patterns...

Large Chinese Northern Wei Dynasty Painted Pottery Saddled Horse with Oxford TL Test

This impressive pottery horse was made during the latter part of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386 - 534). It is made from a buff-coloured pottery and is quite "heavily-potted". Its surface has been cold-painted in a creamy-white pigment, good traces of which still remain. The horse stands upright and alert. On its back is a large integral saddle.

Height 37 cm (14.5 inches)...

Large Chinese Ming Dynasty Enamelled Porcelain Bowl - Phoenix

This rare and attractive porcelain bowl was made during the Wanli Reign (1573 - 1620) of the Ming Dynasty. This type of porcelain is referred to as "Swatow" or "Zhangzhou" ware and was often exported to the South East Asian market. The decoration is quite elaborate and has been executed with green and red enamels...

It is put in Art & Collection for ads, Jun edition.

The rectangular copper plaque with nicely rendered and detailed repousse decoration and chased details of three Bodhisattvas atop a central zodiacal medallion flanked by Apsaras and supported by two lotus roundels - one with trigrams and the other a lotus blossom with rich, impressed sanskrit. Other decoration throughout including large stylized sanskrit, small sanskrit labeling figures and narrating devices and the whole, and various tantric symbols...

Covered with ge type green celadon to the footrim decorated with biscuit flower, glazed base. Diameter = 15.5 cm. Yuan Dynasty. Professional restorations.

A rectangular silver box rich in high relief of dancers in costume. The detailing of the human forms and the patterning on their costumes is finely done. The background of the dancers is done in open-work silver of a pattern of swirling leaves and tendrils. At the bottom of the box is a large hand-hammered mythical Asian chimera (Makara)...

Feeling frisky that day, perhaps a wry self portrait by this most famous of Nuns, Otagaki Rengetsu with a poem brushed above in her unique script...

A pimpled toad looks to the sky exhaling a clouded spirit, a truly superb version of this theme in deep caramel bronze dating from the Meiji period. It is an interesting theme, the ugly creature elevated to the status of saint. Judging by color and quality, we attribute this as the work of Kanaya Gorosaburo (1836-1890), a bronze artist of Kyoto fond of this color and known for his superb modeling and detail. Not always signed, Gorosabutro was often known to sign only the box...

Covered with crackled green celadon to the footring, unglazed base. Diameter = 13.5 cm, height = 6.5 cm. Yuan Dynasty. Excellent condition, no chips, cracks, hairlines and free from restorations

Originally this stick mand had wooden arms and silk clothing. These figures were only used for members of the imperial family and were forbidden for ordinary people. H. 58 cm. (60 cm. incl. stand). With TL-report from Ralf Kotalla.

Blue and white porcelain docorated by floral spray to the body, unglazed base. PERIOD : Kangxi (1662-1722 AD) MEASUREMENTS: 13 cm wide. CONDITION: a tiny fritting to the rim, no cracks or hairlines and free from restorations

Unusual and large brass opium box with beautiful cloisonné decorations. H. 7 cm, W. 7 cm, D. 3,5 cm (2.9 x 2.9 x 1.5 inch). Condition: minor chips to the black enamel on the bottom, otherwise perfect. China, 2nd half 19th century.

Japanese limited-edition abstract sosaku hanga woodblock print by Hideo Hagiwara (1913-2007) titled "Bird." The print is pencil-signed, dated '58, and numbered 5/30 on the bottom margin. This print is an example of a reverse printed image on fine, transparent, slightly crinkled paper that is characteristic of his early work. There is an old inventory number (586A) at lower edge verso. Image size: 10 3/4"V x 14 3/4"H (paper: 13"V x 17"H). Very good overall condition...

A well carved and lacquered Noh mask depicting Hannya. Painted details - particularly depicting loose strands of hair but also the gilded eyes with black wash - adding to the dramatic portrayal...

A set of 12 uniquely crafted masks of devils dating from the Meiji period enclosed in a period custom made kiri-wood box titled Kodai-men Hina-gata Juni-ko (12 miniature ancient masks). They are created from clay covered in gofun and mineral pigments with inset eyes of glass and ivory teeth and horns. Each mask is roughly 9 x 8 x 5 cm (3-1/2 x 3-1/4 x 2 inches). There are some minor losses to the coloration but otherwise all are in fine condition. The box has served its purpose well, protect...

A finely carved female mask netsuke, showing the smiling Okame. The himotoshi edged with bone rings. Signed Shugetsu and with written seal "kakihan". Provenance: a gentleman's collection, Geneva - Switzerland. Condition: fine, only the green bone ring with chips. Dimension: 5.0 cm x 4.3 cm.

Dehua cup with unglazed firing ring on the center. Widht = 7.5 - 6.5 cm Height = 3.5 - 3 cm Qing Dynasty Condition : 2 cups in excellent condition, smallest cup has 2 tiny chips.

H.22,5 cm. First half 20th century. Excellent age wear and patina. Ex coll. van der Zee, Leerdam, ex coll. Berry de Bruijn, Breda. From € 850 for € 350

Large celadon bowl decorated with floral scroll on the body and key fret scroll to rim and foot rim, and flower on the center. W = 22.5 cm, H=10.5 cm. Qianlong 1736-1795. Condition : very good with minor frit on the rim.

Kokeshi, wooden folk toy of NE Japan. Height: 6.5". This is an example of "Naruko-kei" tradition of Miyagi Prefecture. The artisan is Oonuma Hideo, who was born on february 17th, 1930 (Showa 5.) It is not dated, but was most likely made in the 1970's or 1980's. For a brief story on "dentou" (traditional) kokeshi,please see our weblog, which is accessible through our Trocadero website.

Fine & Rare Chinese Yuan Dynasty Black Pottery Censer

We have recently been lucky enough to have acquired a collection of very rare examples of burnished black pottery items made during the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368). Such items are relatively unknown and very little has been published about them. They are found in the northern provinces, particularly Gansu province in the north-west.

A black pottery censer; it is quite heavily-potted with a wide flat rim and three legs. It has a burn...

A small blue and white Chinese export porcelain dish. Decoration of a bird amongst chrysanthemums on rockery in front of an active sea with rising or setting sun on the horizon. Patterned border inside the rim. The undecorated verso with unglazed foot rim. Reasonably good condition with one filled rim frit. No other condition issues - sound resonance when tapped. 6 inch (15.24 cm) diameter.

Japanese cast iron sake kettle (choshi) with the characteristic flattened spout decorated in low relief on one side with prunus blossoms and on the other side with bamboo. The wooden lid is covered with stippled lacquer. These iron kettles were used to heat sake during the cold winter months. Flower form finial. Meiji period (19th century). Measures about 7 3/4" to the top of the handle and about 9 1/2" across to the tip of the spout. The kettle is in very good overall condition. There ar...

A very fine carved bamboo okimono, depicting a saint or deity whose ear is being cleaned by a small boy. Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912. H. 5 cm. Good condition, nice patina. The piece has some written monograms of a former owner. From a Dutch private collection.

A Tang dynasty Changsha bowl, rounded side with deep center and unglazed base, bowl decorated with lotus motif in brown color motif, bowl covered with creamy glazed PERIOD : Tang Dynasty (618-906 AD) MEASUREMENTS: 5.5 cm tall, 15 cm wide. CONDITION: no chips, cracks, or hairlines, restoration on minor glaze loss on the backside.

Description: This greenish jade plaque was supposedly used as a mounting piece on a clothing or a leather outfit. On the reverse side inlay drill was obvious. With the type of the crouching horse and the material of the greenish jade used to make the plaque, it was dated as a relic of Yuan dynasty (13th century) Length: 6.7cm Date: Yuan Dynasty (13th century)

The village headman aims his arrows at the moon to dispel the evil brought on by a solar eclipse, the village women in the background standing in prayer. This scene was painted by Higuchi Tomimaro for show at the Seikosha Exhibition held in Osaka in 1938. It is an excellent look into the world of the Ainu, a native culture to Northern Japan now lost to history. He has done a wonderful job conveying the texture of the clothing, and hidden behind the grayish background is textures of floral lif...

A fine ming blue and white dish decorated with crab and four fish in the center,outside decorated a bird perching on a fruit branch.jiajing periode.dish in very good conditions. 26,5 cm diameter.

Transparent cobalt blue glass bowl, 18th / 19th C. Rounded sides and slightly flaring rim, the exterior carved and incised in relief with peonys, bird and taihu rock. The reign mark Qianlong nian zhi is incised in standard script within a bold square on the base. Condition: fine. Dimensions: 16,2 cm diameter x 7,3 cm high. Weight: 538 gram.

 

The repousse brass on wood mortar with Kala heads. The iron pestle mounted with a hardwood kneeling figure. Ca. Late 19th to early 20th century. The mortar is 15 cm long, the pestle 29 cm.

Blue and white charger with two horses and tree decoration. Qing Period. D = 28 cm. Perfect condition, no chips, cracks,hairlines or restorations.

Description: A rectangular brush-licker was made from a multi-colored pudding stone.
Preserving with fine greasy patina on the surface, the brush-licker was kept in a very good condition except some old abrasions and some original stone defects.
Brush-licker was used for adjusting brush wet when scholars were practicing calligraphy or Chinese brush painting.
In usually-seen flat and simple form, the artistry will always come out of the original beauty of the material itself.
...

The character “Hiraku” Open (or to Open) in bold scratchy strokes by the infamous nun Murase Myodo. Open you mind, open the path to enlightenment, the path is open to all, but like this calligraphy work is not easy, it is dry and thorny and the gate must be passed. Ink on paper in a silk border with wood rollers. It is 24-1/2 x 48-1/2 inches (62 x 123.5 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Born in 1924 in Aichi, one of 9 children, a chance encounter with a nun in her village led her ...

Beautiful face of a court lady with natural wood patina with some dark marks suggesting that perhaps this mask has been cleaned. The hair is enhanced with black color (as it was when purchased in 2003) and grouped at the top of the skull in a bun. The interior shows the patina of an oxidized and weathered hardwood. Importantage at least early 20th, H 29 cm X 15 cm

A fabulous baluster form vase by the first generation Kato Keizan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Gaoji Ryumimi Chokoku Kabin(Ivory Porcelain Dragon Ear Carved Vase). Low on the flaring neck two dragons form handles, and the body of the vessel as carved with archaic symbols reflecting continental taste popular from the Meiji through Taisho to early Showa period. It is 33 cm (13 inches) tall 19.5 cm (7-3/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. Attached to the base is a ...

Chinese cloisonne saucer dish. Spring flowers decoration - particular evidenced by peony blooms. Polychrome enamels on bronze with traces of gilt especially just inside the foot rim where less likely to be rubbed. 18th century. Fair decorative condition with some distress and small areas of loss to the enamel. A good study piece reasonably intact. A common method of conservation is to use colored hard sculptor's wax to fill in losses (offered as a suggestion and not yet done with this recent dis...

This is a superb Bunraku puppet of the historical figure Minamoto Yoshitsune, one of the lead characters from the Tale of the Heikei and legendary fighter in Japan. The doll is incredibly mobile. Head moving up and down, his eyes open and close and move left to right. His eyebrows can be raised and lowered, and mouth opened or closed, all from toggles inside his kimono on the extended neck piece. The puppet is in perfect condition and stands 43 inches to the top of his topknot, complete with ...

Japanese Bizen figure of a standing Shishi, Foo Lion or Dog, well sculpted, with very fine details depicting his fur, teeth, claws, and other white glaze spots outlining his tail and facial fur, his large eyes with dark shiny glaze. Anatomically correct. He measures 8" high, 8 1/2" wide, and 5" deep, and is quite heavy, though body does appear to be somewhat hollow, as there is a hole for releasing the pressure when firing. His stance is fierce, his body well muscled and powerful, and he was ...

This pair of Kingfisher hair ornaments are from my personal collection. The kingfisher bird feathers are in very good condition and the ornaments are 4 inches across at their widest point. Each piece has its original hair pin attached to the paper back with a wire.

The kingfisher bird feathers were a favorite item used to decorate ornaments for both hair and clothing, usually hats and headbands. The earliest ornaments had large feathered areas which were glued to a paper/cardboard back. T...

A decorative Sub-Saharan African knife - possibly from the Sudan - with crocodile styled red leather sheath incorporating real crocodile head. This item was made during the early to mid 20th Century circa 1920-1950. Condition - very good - no damages. 85cm (33.5cm)in length; blade 43cm (16.8 inches) long

Description: One small Jianyang Temmoko bowl was authenticated by all the typical characteristics - the iron grayish body, the typical straight foot rim, the deposits in the pinpoint holes on the body , dry-feel mouth rim, crackled glaze and the foggy water scar left on the glaze. The bottom of the foot ring was uniquely shaped as a flat form. It was a lovely piece with a genuine look from first sight. There're similar pieces which in pairs were exhibited at Nan yue Won Tomb's Museum of Guanzho...

An attractive white brass water pipe complete with all its parts (cleaning tools and original chain). Two surfaces of the square-shaped body have etched artwork of women reading in a garden surrounded by foliage. The remaining 2 surfaces have an etched poem about the scene. The calligraphy is particularly beautiful.

Period: 19th Century

Size: Height: = 29.5 cm, Width of pipe base = 8 cm

Condition: Very good. A complete set with all its original parts.

A very unusual set of three scrolls depicting the women of Shimabara looking down with trepidation at a Fumi-e (a Christian symbol) before lotus enclosed in a wooden box titled Shizan Shimabara-me Sanpuku Tsui (Shizan, Women of Shimabara Three Scroll Set). The Fumi-e was a bronze or wood placard embellished with a Christian symbol upon which people were forced to step to prove that they were not Christians during the ban on Christianity throughout most of the Edo period. Any who refused to ste...

Japanese mid-century sosaku hanga woodblock print by Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997) titled "Winter in Aizu" from a series by the same name. Signed in black ink at the lower right and with the artist's red Kiyoshi seal above. Unlimited edition dating circa 1960s. Paper size: 11 9/16" x 17 1/8" (image: about 10" x 15 1/4). Very good overall condition and color with full margins. The print is very lightly sunstruck and there is a small faint browned spot in the center bottom by the margin. There ar...

Description: Although jade is found in various areas in the world, Chinese people valued it even more than gold and silver for thousands of years. This Scholar's object was made of grey nephrite in elegant shape and proportion. The inscription of poems corresponding with the scenery made it much more a piece of art. Date: Qing Dynasty Length: 10.0cm Width: 10.0cm Height: 4.0cm Condition: Perfect (A bronze spoon is included)

A vermilion Negoro lacquered tray with fluted corners on an elongated stem with heavy round foot in black lacquer dating from the Muromachi period with the temple name Zentoku-in written in red on the base. It is 27 x 27.5 x 25 cm tall (10-1/2 x 10-3/4 x 10 inches). Originally undoubtedly square, the discrepancy in width is due to shrinkage against the grain over the centuries. It comes in a late custom made wooden storage box. There are chips along the edges and a repair visible on the unde...

A pair of Kinsai Tokkuri on red ground by Eiraku Zengoro from his Kutani kiln dating from the late 19th or early 20th centuries enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Complete with lids, they are 5 inches (13 cm) tall each and in excellent condition.

With a green and yellow glaze, decorated in relief with a fish between water plants. One side of the flask is left uncleaned to show how the flask was found. The soil can be easily removed. Condition: very good with expected age wear and age cracks in the glaze. 20 cm. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

This is a bee hive shaped waterpot. It is sometimes referred to taibo zun or qizhao zun(chicken coop) in Chinese because of the shape. The domed shaped body has a countersunk base, with three incised roundel of scrolling kui dragons just about visible just beneath the beach bloom glaze accented with splashes of pink and a minute sprinkle apple or lime green. The bee hive shaped watrepot has an honorific seal mark of emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) in under glazed blue but it is dated to the 19th cen...

Kokeshi, wooden folk toy of NE Japan. Height: 5.25". This is an example of the "Nambu-kei" tradition of Iwate Prefecture. It was made at Hanamaki Onsen (Hanamaki Hot Spring) by an unidentified artisan. The wood used is "keyaki" (Zelkova-Chinese Elm.) It is not dated, but was most likely made during the past 20 years. This particular tradition of kokeshi is unique in that there is no painting, as in all other traditional kokeshi of Tohoku (NE Japan.) The wood is left bare. These are often seen on...

Kokeshi, wooden folk toy of NE Japan. Height: 9.75". This is an example of the "Naruko-kei" tradition of Miyagi Prefecture. The artisan is Takahashi Teruyuki, who was born on January 13th, Showa 15 (1930.) It is not dated, but was most likely made during the 1970's or 1980's. For a brief story of "dentou" (traditional) kokeshi, please see our weblog, which is accessible through our Trocadero homepage.