Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (336)

A finely painted sometsuke bowls decorated with alternating reserves of three leaping koi divided by a criss-cross ground or “nets” and a central motif of a Chinese landscape featuring a figure collecting fire wood with his head looking skyward. This is probably a representation of Ceng Shen (So Shin) collecting fire wood, a disciple of Confucius , who whilst looking at the moon suddenly became aware that his mother needed him, a popular Confucian parable of filial piety...

A finely painted sometsuke bowls decorated with alternating reserves of three leaping koi divided by a criss-cross ground or “nets” and a central motif of a Chinese landscape featuring a figure collecting fire wood with his head looking skyward. This is probably a representation of Ceng Shen (So Shin) collecting fire wood, a disciple of Confucius , who whilst looking at the moon suddenly became aware that his mother needed him, a popular Confucian parable of filial piety...

A Hasami-yaki bowl of scalloped form bowl decorated with konnyaku stamped decoration of Chrysanthemum and leaves, and gobenka to the centre with Tako Karakusa decoration to the rim and a Karakusa arabesque to the reverse and a stylised Fuku mark to the base. The bowl is a good and relatively early example of the style of ware made at Nagasaki under the Owara clan for the mass market. The dish dates to the mid Edo era and the mid 18th century...

A good Arita moulded rinka gata form scalloped rimmed dish in Ai Kakiemon style. The front is decorated with a band of twenty four jewelled cash, shippo, to the rim and further shippo in ones and twos incorporated into mounds of grasses, presumably sasa, bamboo grass, of differing height, again arranged in ones and twos to create a pleasingly symmetric arrangement framing a central gobenka...

A shallow dish of octagonal form decorated with a design based on the so-called mesiande grid painted in reverse style, kakiwake, with a central motif of a stylised viewing rock and chrysanthemums, bordered by a series of eight tab like reserves containing further stylised vegetal motifs, apparently fusions of shida and warabi fern croziers and fronds with pine branches, matsu, and flowers, each framed by a stylised wave border...

A shallow dish of octagonal form decorated with a design based on the so-called mesiande grid painted in reverse style, kakiwake, with a central motif of a stylised viewing rock and chrysanthemums, bordered by a series of eight tab like reserves containing further stylised vegetal motifs, apparently fusions of shida and warabi fern croziers and fronds with pine branches, matsu, and flowers, each framed by a stylised wave border...

A rare Arita zhadou form sake cup warmer. These unusually shaped vessels following the form of zhadou, Chinese lays jar, were used for the warming of sake cups, and as flower vases. The form of these cup warmers seem to follow Chinese Song precedents, an example of the Japanese preference for more classical Chinese forms, rather than later Ming and Qing examples, which characteristically have much wider openings...

An amusing netsuke form model of a mischievous monkey dressed as a Manzai dancer based on an Ivory model of the late Edo period. The figure is crisply modelled, the head partially bisque with cobalt blue and iron brown glaze applied to the head dress and flowing robes. Both the head and the long tongue are separately modelled from the base. Sarumiwashi, trained monkeys were a popular form of entertainment in Japan, and also performed as part of Shinto rituals relating to the New Year...

An unusual rhomboid quadrilobed form dish decorated with a landscape of islands with Pagodas within a lake or estuarine setting conceivably a composition based on the “Eight views of the Xiao and the Xiang rivers”, Shosho hakkei. The design produced largely through the use of a stencil with additional applications of wash. The technique of using paper stencils, katagamni zuri, to reproduce patterns was also used at the Nabeshima kiln...

Fine Ko Imari Ryu-mon Tray Dish Mid Edo c.1750 A dish of decagonal scalloped form with a raised upturned rim decorated in some-nishikide style and gilt outlined enamels with a Chinese four toed dragon pursuing a flaming pearl in a sky filled with auspicious clouds and lightning bolts. Its body partially obscured by the clouds and its tail emerging from waves below...

An unusual moulded dish decorated with swirling ribbon like Shonsui brocades alternating with depictions of the Shochikubai. The central Mikomi decorated with a floral motif of two stylised flowers surrounded by a broad band of alternating cartouches in kakiwake style with auspicious objects, Chinese and Japanese Fans and a Whisk, and Cranes. The dish has a fuchi beni, iron brown glazed rim with no pattern to the reverse...

A rather striking Chinese derived pattern of Shou Lao and the Eight Immortals painted in a wucai, five colour, palette. The central mikomi painted with an amalgam of a Feiyu, Flying fish dragon, and a conventional dragon, rather than a true Feiyu, which would have had a pair of fins and fish tail rather than legs and conventional tail of this example. The border pattern is composed of auspicious cloud and sacred fungus motifs linked by a Karakusa arabesque...

A rather curious dish produced at the Shida kiln in Arita made for the Japanese domestic market that contains a rebus and the mon for the famous Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo V, who was described as having the eye balls of a fresh Lobster from his characteristic wide eyed acting performances. It was presumably made for sale as a souvenir at the theatre...

A fine Kakiemon shallow dish of moulded octafoil form decorated in underglaze blue and enamels with a scene from the Tale of Ise featuring the famous eight planked zig zag bridge, Yatsuhashi, over a bed of Irises, kakitsuba. The Kakiemon version combines trailing Cherry blossom with clouds and rain. The lower half of the design incorporates further familiar Kakiemon elements, the almost trade mark, turbulent waves and a water fowl, amongst Irises...

A fine quality early eighteenth century dish decorated with a rather unusual Indian “sarasa” pattern with a Buddhist theme. The design is composed of flowers arranged in columns and rows. Inset within the sarasa ground are three lobed niche like reserves each containing a Dharma singing bird, emanations of the Amitabha Buddha, that reside in the Buddha’s Pure Land paradise...

A fine quality early eighteenth century dish decorated with a rather unusual Indian “sarasa” pattern with a Buddhist theme. The design is composed of flowers arranged in columns and rows. Inset within the “sarasa” ground are three lobed niche like reserves each containing a Dharma singing bird, emanations of the Amitabha Buddha, that reside in the Buddha’s Pure Land paradise. The centre of the dish is decorated with a block of twelve flowers each with nine petals, which presumably has ...

A good Chinese export dish of moulded Chrysanthemum form decorated in underglaze blue and iron red and gilding. The border divided into a series of sixteen panels containing various floral motifs including chrysanthemum, Pinks and other autumn flowers. The centre decorated with rocks, Peonies and a bird, presumably a Magpie, to complete an auspicious wish for happiness, wealth and longevity. The dish measures 27 cm in diameter and approximately 5 cm high. The dish is in overall good condition wi...

An interesting mid sixteenth century Jiajing period small dish decorated with a Deer Monkey, Bird and Bees in a landscape with a Peach tree. The pattern can be read in several ways, as a reference to the tale of the Monkey King and the Peaches of Immortality and as a rebus design “julu feng hou”, meaning “May you receive high rank and emolument” deriving from the combination of Deer, (lu), Bird (ju), Bees (feng) the curious blobs above the head of the Monkey (hou), or as simply a co...