Crafted from locally sourced Bizen clay, this mid-Edo period vase embodies simplicity, beauty, and understated elegance. Its unassuming form showcases the natural beauty of the clay, enhanced by a delicate ash glaze. The texture and shape evoke a sense of rustic charm, reflecting the profound harmony between human creativity and the organic world. Now several centuries old, this piece continues to serves not only as a functional display piece, but also as a symbol of the enduring leg...

Japanese Meiji Art Nouveau silver tea tray, ca 1890. Retailed by Arthur & Bond in Yokohama. Lobed oval. Well stippled and engraved with shaded interlaced monogram. Upturned c-scroll end handles. Blossoming prunus branches, iris flowers, and bamboo applied to handles and tapering shoulder. Exotic ornament and Western form. Marked “Arthur & Bond / Sterling / Yokohama”. Very good condition. One handle back has dent (not visible from front).

Overall dimensions: H 2 7/8 x W 28 1/2 x D 18 1/2 in...

Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Typically, black or green glazes are applied to the bodies of these works and light-colored windows are created using feldspar. These high-contrast areas then act as a canvas upon which abstract, minimalistic, and often naturalistic themes are painted.

As can be seen here, this piece is of the green variety and looks to be from the mid-to-early Edo period as can be determined ...

Sometime around the year 1600 the first Takatori kiln was constructed at the foot of Mt Takatori in Fukuoka. This tradition was based on styles created by Korean potters brought to the shores of Japan during its colonial expansionism of the late 16th century. A favorite of the Kuroda lords of the time, its production and use was closely guarded until later in the 19th century when the domain system was abolished, freeing it up to be more widely used. Though Takatori-ware has been admired by many...

English Egyptian-Revival 18K gold brooch with scarab, ca 1870. Winged sun with fluted and stepped form. Entwined and scaly serpent forms round and open center, inset with rotating double-sided carnelian scarab: On front is a carved beetle; on back the Roman God Mercury. Fine condition with beautifully toned patina.

Overall dimensions: H 7/8 x W 2 5/8 x D 3/8 in. Gross weight: 9.5 dwt. #1180

Splashed across a beautifully textured backdrop of shimmering black, the willow leaves painted in silver bring with them a sense of calm and contemplation. Generously proportioned though not too heavy in the hand, the wide base ensures stability while the upward curvature of the sides breaks with convention and offers a unique and decidedly modern flair.

Born in Kyoto as the 4th son of a famous lacquer artist named Shogo, Banura Shiro (1941-2001) followed suit and went i...

Turn-of-the-century French Belle Epoque Classical 950 silver gravy boat on stand. Oval bowl with curved sides and elongated end spouts. Side handles entwined and split-mounted with leaves and flowers. Stepped oval foot mounted to stand with oval well and reeded and serpentine rim. Armorial engraved on stand shoulder. Marks include unidentified maker’s stamp and Minerva head. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 4 1/4 x W 10 1/2 x D 7 in. Weight: 20 troy ounces. #BX235

An often overlooked implement in tea ceremony, here we have the humble kogo (incense box) with an image of a sleek and flowing dragon. Commonly thought to represent strength, freedom, good luck, and magic, dragons are a popular theme in the artwork across Eastern cultures. Interesting to note, the dragon here is portrayed in the Korean style with four claws, with dragons in China typically having five claws and dragons in Japan typically having three. Fashioned by one of the few great female Jap...

Japanese Mugiwara pottery emerged in the Mino region of Japan during the Momoyama period in the late 16th century. It is renowned for its distinctive straw-rope patterns etched into or painted on its surfaces that typically contains hues of indigo, mustard, hazel, ochre, and sometimes greens. The creation of Mugiwara pottery involves a process of hand-building or wheel-throwing clay pieces—typically serving dishes, vases, and teaware items—and then meticulously applying a straw-r...

With a masterfully applied black Raku glaze and a noticeable aesthetic of austerity and stillness, this piece is what is refereed to in Japanese as an “utsushi” or what we might call in English a “tribute piece.” Such pieces are typically made by all Raku potters, regardless of the kiln and tradition, and seek to emulate famous works from the early masters over 400 years ago—in this case, a tea bowl created by the brother of the second Kichizaemon, Tanaka Somi, born sometim...

This scroll contains a sutra written as [寿至蓬莱不老僊], pronounced in Japanese as “Jyu-Ita-Hōrai-Furō-Sen.” Originating from Chinese, the characters “蓬莱” refer to the mythical land of “Penglai,” home to the immortals. According to legend the trees that grow here cure all disease; there are rice bowls and flasks of wine that never go empty; and its great castles are built entirely out of gold and silver.

The brushwork is done by a Rinzai sect m...

French Belle Epoque Classical 950 silver gravy boat on stand, ca 1910. Boat has ovoid bowl with helmet mouth and raised oval foot with imbricated leaf rim. High-looping and split leaf-mounted handle with armorial engraved in beaded oval frame. Stand oval with open well and four trefoil supports. Both have stippled tubular frames alternating with stylized flower heads. Reeding. Fully marked with Minerva head and maker’s stamp (Alphonse Dutac). Very good condition.

Dimensions: Boat: H 6 x W 8...

German 800 silver bowl commemorating Napoleon I and Marie-Louise. Lobed quatrefoil with embossed medallion bust portraits of the couple surmounted an eagle; at bottom a military trophy. Open sides with leaf swag with pendant ribboned medallions (vacant) applied to interior. Beaded rim. Mounted end handles in form of burning torch between gryphons.

The eternal flame such as might have been supposed to burn between Napoleon and his teenage bride, an Austrian archduchess—and grandniece no less ...

Equestrian-themed silver tankard with German imperial association, ca 1875. Straight and paneled sides with low-relief frieze depicting galloping riders, racing through the countryside, trees and buildings in the background; branch borders. Split-mounted s-scroll handle with thumb rest. At bottom applied branch and leaf border and open supports. Cover hinged and bellied with imbricated leaf rim; on top is cast finial in form of mounted jockey and engraved phrase citing Kaiser Wilhelm I in an all...

This pretty brooch with stones mounted in silver-topped 18k gold has been designed in the shape of a flower. The petals have been formed from 5 incised citrines in a warm smokey yellow-brown color which surround a cut diamond in the center. The stem of the flower and the petals' border are all highlighted by inlaid old European and rose-cut diamonds. The back has been marked with a French guarantee stamp. The brooch measures approximately 1 3/4" X 1 1/4" and was made Circa:1880. It is a lov...

Enryakuji Temple, Hiyeizan (Hieizan), Kyoto.
Artist not identified.
Dated August 21st, 1937.
Size: 7.5 x 5375 inches (19 x 13.6 cm).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print as the cover of a dinner menu of the Nippon Yusen Line passenger ship, Chichibu Maru.
Publisher: Likely Nippon Mokuhan Co. Tokio (Japan Woodblock Co. Tokyo), who produced another of our ship menu woodblock prints.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print made from a carved wood block. Mechanization was added to...

Sabra Field (American, born 1935)
Going Home
Date: ca 1980 (as noted on separate board)
Paper size: 13 x 8.5 inches.
Image size: 9.5 x 5 inches.
Medium: Woodcut print.
Condition: Light scuff on mountain.

Swedish Neoclassical 830 silver serving bowl, 1932. Ovoid bowl with high-looping end handles and raised foot. Engraved leaf-and-dart mouth rim. Pierced colonnade foot rim. Fully marked including maker’s stamp (G. Graumann) and date code. Very good condition.

Overall dimensions: H 3 3/4 x L 11 x W 4 3/4 in. Weight: 8.7 troy ounces. #BZ125