Catalog: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian (155)

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with four yellow petaled flowers with richly textured complex centers, leaves and fine tiny silver foil inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.88 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with blue and red core, four pink petaled flowers with numerous white stamens, leaves and fine tiny silver foil inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.77 inches.

Vintage Chinese wooden stand of rectangular shape with 4 short legs. Beautiful dark dense rosewood with wonderful patina, in excellent condition, good object for a scholar’s desk. Size 114 x 87 x 37 mm.

1930s Japanese plastic kushi (hair comb) with embedded gold tone metallic flower design and 2 types of mother of pearl inlays depicting magical rain hat and and Daikoku’s mallet, design continuing on the back. Very well made, wonderful work in Japanese taste, 2 losses to inlays (handle of the mallet and a leaf on the back), otherwise in great condition. Length 3.82 inches. Part of East Coast collection of Japanese hair items.

Vintage Japanese kiriwood okimono in a shape of Kan'ei Tsūhō - an Edo period coin with a value of 1 mon. Actual copper Kan'ei Tsūhō was a Japanese coin in use from 1626 until 1868. It was introduced by the Tokugawa shogunate to standardize and maintain a sufficient supply of copper coinage, and it was the first government-minted copper coin in 700 years. These coins would become the daily currency of the common people and would be used for small payments...

Vintage wooden Japanese sumitsubo - a carpenter line, in a form of a base with a spike, and rotating spoked wheel with a thread on it. Unusual version of the tool - it lacks a vessel part for ink soaked cotton, but has a spike. I am not entirely sure how it functions, but it is probably fixed to a wooden beam by pushing in the spike, and the thread is pulled to the desired point to make a straight line...

Vintage Japanese wooden kogo (box for incense during tea ceremony), its cover carved in a shape of the Zen Patriarch Daruma wearing a monk’s cape, and with gold lacquer on the inside. Beautiful dense fruitwood, carving is done in ittobori (one cut) style characteristic for the Hida school of carvers. Wonderful face, in excellent condition. Signed KAZUICHI SAKU (made by Kazuichi) on the bottom. Diameter 2.1 inches, height 1.5 inches. Part of a small East Coast kogo collection.

Vintage Japanese kiriwood kogo (box for incense during tea ceremony) in a form of an open fan with painted decoration of blooming kikyo-zaki (Japanese morning glory) and other flowers and grasses. Comes with tomobako (original storage box made by the artist) inscribed, signed and stamped with a seal of Munehiro Michiba, Very clever design, in perfect condition. Great piece in Japanese taste. Length 3 5/8 inches.

Unusual good size glass ojime (slide bead for tightening the cord going from netsuke to inro) in ball shape with hollow inside and bright design of 2 sunbursts with wavy blue and yellow rays. Rare technique of thick walled material with hollow inside, superb execution, beautiful colors. Rather stunning piece. Diameter 0.94 inches.

Unusual good size glass ojime (slide bead for tightening the cord going from netsuke to inro) in ball shape with hollow inside and design of multiple blue and red spirals. Rare technique of thick walled material with hollow inside, superb execution, beautiful colors. Diameter 0.87 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead representing Zen Buddhism Patriarch Daruma enveloped in blue robe with various flowers. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Exceptionally well made piece - see his face with expression of severe concentration and finely done minute flowers of different species, in perfect condition...

Vintage Chinese scholar’s incense burner in a form of a wooden burl hollowed on the inside and placed on fitted dense dark wood carved stand. Can be used as a scholar’s stone or a brush rest as well. Superbly beautiful burl surface and shape perfectly resembling violently swirling clouds, excellent patina, can be displayed in various positions giving extra visual value to the piece. Cleverly cut openings in the skirt of the stand providing necessary draft for burning incense...

Vintage Chinese soapstone small brush rest carved to represent a Taihu scholar’s rock with numerous perforations and crevices. Beautiful Guangdong green soapstone, extraordinary carving, compressed dust in crevices, in great condition. Wonderful object for a scholar’s desk. Length 3 3/16 inches, height 1 3/8 inches.

Vintage Chinese wooden stand of square shape, its sides with openwork carving. Beautiful dark dense rosewood with wonderful patina, in excellent condition. Very good for display of scholar’s objects. 4 13/16 inches square, height 15/16 inches.

Vintage good size glass ojime (slide bead for tightening the cord going from netsuke to inro) in barrel shape with subtle black, blue and green pattern. Beautifully made, pleasantly heavy, wonderful smooth surface. Diameter 0.94 Inches.

Netsuke carved by Ryoshu (born in 1912) - one of the best Japanese netsuke carvers of the 20th century, listed on p. 886 of NETSUKE & INRO ARTISTS AND HOW TO READ THEIR SIGNATURES by George Lazarnick. Netsuke represents a kappa hunched protectively over a cucumber. Kappa (translated from Japanese as “river child”) are mythical river goblins with the body of a tortoise, limbs of a frog, and the head of a monkey...

Netsuke of standing Jurojin (one of the 7 Gods of happiness, usually associated with longevity) holding a scepter with reishi fungus head, wearing a cape, a long robe and a spotted deer (the animal is a symbol of longevity) skirt. There is a nice detail for a netsuke lover - he is wearing an inro suspended by a manju netsuke. Excellent carving - see the detailing of his portrait quality face, incised fingernails, texture and spots of the deer skirt. Superb quality staining, beautiful patina...

Vintage Chinese soapstone small brush rest carved to represent a Taihu scholar’s rock with numerous perforations and crevices. Beautiful Yunnan pink soapstone with wonderful carving, compressed dust on the surface, in great condition. Wonderful object for a scholar’s desk. Length 2.82 inches, height 0.94 inches.