Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (329)

A rare set of three Deshima (Scheveningen) small bowls of lobed lotus petal form, two of which have all the elements of the traditional Deshima pattern, cups in this pattern appear to be exceptionally rare in the literature compared with flat wares, and one with a Chinese interpretation of the scene, where the figures and landscape are transposed into Chinese Immortals and a traditional Chinese style landscape, examples of which appear in the Burghley Collection etc...

An unusual Kakiemon dish the outer register finely painted with the Shochikubai. The pine, bamboo and prunus painted separately with elongated trailing branches growing from rockwork. The centre painted with a single bough of flowering Camellias, Tsubaki, symbolic of the season of Spring. The reverse painted with a continuous vine arabesque, karakusa and four supur marks arranged in a "Y" shape. An identical dish is to be found in the Sakaida (Kakiemon) family collection...

A finely potted dish decorated with a pattern of scattered shibagaki, bundles of brushwood, which would have formed part of a decorative garden hedge, with boughs of Plum blossom. This pattern was made for the domestic market and would have been particularly appropriate for the celebration of the New Year. The design is referencing the strong winds and storms of early spring. The dish is decorated in a combination of underglaze blue and “Kakiemon” enamels, over-glaze blue, green...

A fine so-called “Deshima”, or more likely a scene of Scheveningen in the Netherlands or an imaginary composition based upon it, after an unknown original by Frederik van Frytom. Although this is the most reproduced version in the literature the design is actually a sinofication of the original Dutch landscape...

A fine so-called “Deshima”, or more likely a scene of Scheveningen in the Netherlands or an imaginary composition based upon it, after an unknown original by Frederik van Frytom. The bowl is decorated with four elements of the pattern, two figures in a field, a female figure with cow held upon a leash, a rider in a landscape, and a “light-house”, beacon upon a hill...

A large Imari bowl with a scalloped foliate rim made for the European market decorated to the exterior with a wide diaper brocade band incorporating a cross motif and Karahana. The cross in this context probably represents “sen”, one thousand, and combined with the karahana represents an auspicious wish for a long life...

A large deep bowl made for the Japanese domestic market painted with a “kotobuki” longevity shou character ground in iron red, gold and underglaze blue inset with three ogee lobed reserves with Aoi or Shuro mon within a karakusa style vine arabesque. Framed by bands of stylised Lotus and Jui (ruyi). The well of the bowl is decorated with Peonies...

A fine rectangular vase or incense stick holder of slab construction with applied leonine taotie style handles to its narrow sides...

An Ai Kakiemon dish decorated with a repeating pattern of Hosoge, flowers of Precious appearance, which in this case would appear to be representations of auspicious Pomegranate fruits constructed from Ruyi, Acanthus style leaves and other disparate elements. The ring of Hosoge pierced by a circlet binding them together with a gobenka motif in the centre...

A rare Arita export dish decorated in Kakiemon style with a pair of Hoo birds, (Fenghuang or Pheonixes) amongst rocks and flowers, Peonies and Chrysanthemums. The rim decorated with a Bird and vine pattern arabesque. Identical dishes exist painted in this pattern but enamelled in the classic Kakiemon palette. The “Bird bird and vine” pattern appears on “Kakiemon” export teapots of the same period. The curious blobs arranged in groups of three, represent Stars, Hoshi...

An exceptionally fine porcelain bowl made for presentation, kenjo-te. The centre of the dish is decorated with an unusual version of a Karashishi which would seem to be floating upon a feather set against a net like blue ground which has been produced using the shiranaku technique. It is strikingly similar to the karashishi and feather compositions that appear on Chinese porcelain of the Wanli era...

A square shallow bowl in the form of a Japanese rice measure, masu, which was considered to be an auspicious form decorated to the exterior with two Dragons in different stances with two eight character poems with seals. Presumably the shape was intended as a play on the word, namasu, a term used to traditionally describe a serving of pickled vegetables and the related bowl...

An impressive large shallow dish of foliate form decorated with a pair of auspicious Hoo birds with Kiri (Pawlonia) painted principally in underglaze blue which trail over the rim on to the reverse of the dish; an “over the wall pattern”...

A saucer form dish decorated in a full five colour Ko Imari “wucai”, gosai palette. The design arranged in fuyo-de Kraak style with a border of six sectional compartments each containing a panels of “Persian flowers”, precious objects, and Chinese figures standing upon a bridge in a stylised landscape...

A (North) Korean bronze mirror of petaloid form decorated with floral scrolling to the interior of the rim. The raised border of the central reserve following the petaloid form of the mirror edge. The reserve is divided into five repeating sections each terminating in "spearhead motifs", possibly a leaf with tendrils either side, both from the central boss and the raised border (10 in total, five from the boss pointing outwards, five from the border pointing inwards). The area in between with s...

A good example of an “Ai Kutani” style dish decorated with a continuous scrolling vine of Peony flowers with Peony leaves and Buds set against a “frog spawn” type ground, which is typical of the period; see Volume II of the Shibata Collection no 347 for an identical border arabesque there dated circa 1670-80. The reverse of the dish is decorated with a gently undulating vine arabesque incorporating auspicious gobenka, flowers with five petals – see no 344 from the same volume for a sim...

A fine large fan shaped sweetmeat dish decorated with a central motif of a wide mouthed baluster form vase flanked by a pair of rectangular shallow sand filled bronze trays, suiban, containing arrangements of Cherry, Camelia, Chrysanthemums and Pinkes. The rim framed by a Chrysanthemum arabesque and the reverse of the dish painted with floral sprigs in iron red and a thunder fret border in underglaze blue to the outside of the foot-rim. The dish is strikingly similar in form and decoration to e...

A decorative pair of Imari Beaker Vases made for export to the West brightly enamelled with traditional Japanese motifs. The main part of the vase is painted with a Crane symbolising longevity with the three friends of Winter, the shochikubai, the Pine, Bamboo and the Japanese Apricot (Prunus tree). Whilst the upper part of the vase is decorated with a two part frieze, the first a Garden room with tied Curtain, and the second part a stream, ruisuimon, and Maple leaves, momiji, an allusion to a...