American Modern ring with cabochon tiger eye in 14k yellow gold setting; brilliant-cut diamond on each shoulder. Hallmarked. Excellent condition.
Size: 8 1/2. Weight: 10.5 dwt (16.3 g). #1223
Kawase Hasui
Uji Bridge (aka Bridge on a Starry Night)
Note: But are the stars fireflies? The Uji Bridge and River are known for fireflies.
Date: 1930s.
Size: Koban. Approximately 7.75 x 5.25 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Hasui's oval seal at lower left.
Made in Japan stamped on verso.
Reference: Hotei #Hp-24.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Victorian ring in platinum on 18k gold with rose-cut diamonds and rubies in crisscross design. England, ca 1880. Hallmarked. Excellent condition.
Size: 4 1/2. Weight: 2.1 dwt (3.2 g). #1221
Silberiris glass vase by historic Loetz with engraved silver overlay. Globular with pinched shoulder and ruffled turned-down quatrefoil rim. On front overlay in form of loose and fluid blooms on entwined and whiplash stems. Back plain. Glass iridescent yellow, green, blue, and purple. Shimmering turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau. Pontil mark. Excellent condition with nice patina.
Dimensions: H 5 1/4 x D 4 3/4 in. #BX856
Shodo Kawarazaki (1889-1973)
Water Hyacinth (Mizuaoi)
Date: 1950s. Later edition.
Size: Oban. 16.0 x 10.75 inches.
Publisher: Unsodo. Publisher's "Gei" watermark at lower left. Carver and printer seals at left margin.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Osuga Yuichi (b. 1939)
Japanese Bellflower (Kikyo)
Date: ca. 1970s or later.
Size: Oban. 15.875 x 10.75 inches.
Publisher: Unsodo. Publisher's "Gei" watermark at lower left.
Carver: Monju. Printer: Sugimoto
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Upper left margin edge has vertical crease.
Toko Shinoda (1913-2021)
Title: Discovery
Size: Approximately 14.125 x 10.5 inches.
Date: 1980s or earlier.
Edition: 33/35.
Medium: Lithograph with red and black sumi-e brushstrokes.
Condition: Slight toning to former matte edge.
Ohara Koson (?)
Three Birds (Gallinules) (Matsumoto catalog name)
Size: Approximately 14.4 x 9.0 cm. 5.75 x 3.625 inches.
Date: ca. 1910.
Sealed "Yamagishi," which may be the carver Kazue Yamagishi (1891-1984).
Publisher: Matsumoto (no. 420)
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
An early and rarely seen design. Not found in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland) but similar to the artist's gallinule...
European silver fish-form spice box, 19th century. Hinged head and lower mouth, and faceted red eyes. Articulated and scalloped wide body, and hinged fins and tail. Loose-mounted ring. Unmarked. Very good condition with deep patina.
Overall dimensions: H 1 5/8 x L 3 1/8 x D 1 7/8 in. #BS513
Twelve French Classical 950 silver plates. Made by Jean-Baptiste Gustave Odiot in Paris, ca 1870. Round well and shoulder with shaped frames; serpentine guilloche rim. Engraved armorial with Latin motto “Non sine labore”. The super sumptuous set to bring out when the book club gets round to Proust. Fully marked with Minerva head and maker’s stamp. Ten numbered 2690 (2), 3670 (1) 7225 (5), 7328 (1), 7329 (1). Very good condition with minor fire scale in well.
Dimensions: H 7/8 x D 10 5/8 ...
Ide Gakusui
Berries
Size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.75 inches.
Date: 1950s-60s.
Gakusui signature and seal lower left.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo
Woodblock print is tipped along the top edge to original 7 x 4.75-inch blank card.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Tsuchiya Koitsu
Sparrows
Publisher: Doi. Issued by Odawara Shoten.
Date: 1940. This edition likely post-2000.
Print size: Koban. 8 x 5.75 inches.
Koitsu catalog no.: Similar to TK-DH-90.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Takahashi Shotei
Shrine by the River
Date: 1930s. This edition early postwar.
Size: 5.5 x 3.625 inches
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Artist's seal at lower right.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Top margin edge has slight browning.
Here we have a beautiful scroll with a mounted letter penned by famed Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) who is known as one of the 4 great haiku poets of Japan along with the likes of Bashō, Buson, and Shiki. As one might expect, Kobayashi’s life was one of turbulence punctuated by several tragedies including the death of his mother at an early age and a lengthy legal battle with his step-mother over the family inheritance after the death of his father. Through it all Kobay...
An excellent offering from Higaki Ryota of Katsura Kiln, this piece displays a classic and iconic shape coupled with a beautiful Kase-guro glaze said to be used over 400 years ago by Chojiro. The color of this tea bowl changes quite dramatically, taking on the characteristics of its environment; light and cheerful in direct and bright lighting, more austere, deep, and reflective in standard tea room lighting. Perfect for those venturing into the world of Raku tea-ware or for those lo...
This lot includes eight marked Gorham sterling 4780 nut dishes . Two are mongrammed on the bottom( one of those has very faint etched numbers). 4" x 2-1/2" Total weight 6.8 ozs.
A collectible Scandinavian gold and amethyst pin by Kippittan Kulta of Finland. The pin is stamped with the anvil mark 585 Finland and measures 2 1/4" x 1-1/4". Weight 3.6gr.
Ohara Shoson (Koson)
Pheasants and Maple Tree
Size: Approximately 5.25 x 3.25 inches.
Date: ca. 1930s.
Shoson seal at lower right
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Reference: AS.15 in Crows, Cranes, and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Lilian May Miller (1895-1943)
The Little Shrines on Quiet Hills
Date: 1927.
Size: Approximately 5.625 x 3.75 inches.
From the book, Grass Blades from a Cinnamon Garden.
Monogrammed within the image.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Slight toning.
Tsuchiya Koitsu
Mandarin Ducks
Date: 1930s.
Size: Mitsugiri-ban. Approximately 15.75 x 7.5 inches.
Publisher: Doi Hangaten.
Reference: Koitsu catalog no. TK-DH-76.
Carver: Harada. Printer: Yokoi.
This seal combination indicates an early post-war edition.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Back top margin has tape residue.
Note: An usual subject for Koitsu.
Two pairs of German 800 silver 2-light candelabra. Made by M. H. Wilkens & Söhne in Germany, ca 1890. Each: tapering pillar on raised foot with spread c-scroll supports. Garland-entwined figure mounted to pillar top. On two, a bosomy, drapery-clad caryatid; on other two, a naked atlantes. Soft youthful flesh that contrasts with the statuary pillar. Each figure holds a stem with two open and scrolled branches terminating in single socket. Fluid and dynamic Art Nouveau mixed with frothy Rococo. ...
Also known as "The Buddha of Immeasurable Light and Life,” here in this pre-Edo Buddhist painting we see Amida and his two assistant bodhisattvas, Seishi on the left (associated with wisdom and strength), and Kannon on the right (associated with compassion and mercy), descending from the Western Pure Land to welcome newly deceased believers into the realm of paradise. In this practice known as raigō, the faithful are transported via the small lotus pedestal the Kannon holds in his...
Although reports vary, it is generally thought that Zeze-yaki had its heyday in the late Momoyama to early Edo period under the influence and patronage of legendary artists/ men of tea, Honami Koetsu and Kobori Enshu. It was also counted among the seven best kilns selected by Enshu Kobori (1579-1647), a tea master and military commander of that era. In the mid-1600s the tradition died out for a time after the destruction of the kiln by fire. The kiln was later resurrected on two occa...
With a base of dazzling red ochre clay, a technique known as “san-giri,” pioneered by the progenitor of this generational potting family and now widely used among Bizen potters, is employed here to bring out stunning mustard yellows, mossy greens, charcoal blacks, along with a range of subtler hues.
The potter, Konishi Tōko II (1927 -2018) was second daughter to Konishi the first. After graduating from women’s college she assisted her father at the family kiln, e...
This elegant work of Karatsu pottery has an unglazed foot, showing the rich ferrous clay from which it is constructed, and displays splashes of ferrous pigment on a backdrop of ashen glaze with a milky white overglaze. The triangular shape and large proportions make for a very distinctive work of e-Karatsu or “painted” Karatsu.
Like many pottery traditions in Japan, Karatsu takes its name from the city where it originated. As early as the 15th century, Korean potters...
Paul Jacoulet
The Wandering Buddhist Priest, Korea (Le Bonze Errant, Corée)
Date: 1948.
Edition 165/350. (Fewer than 50 impressions from this edition were produced.)
Print size: Approximately 18.5 x 14.375 inches.
Publisher: Self-published by the artist.
Carver: Maeda. Printer: Honda.
Signed, and sealed with the "peach" seal. PJ watermark.
Reference: No. 95, The Prints of Paul Jacoulet (Miles).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Top ba...
Japanese Modern silver box on stand, ca 1930. Rectangular with curved corners. Box has straight sides and cover top is gently raised and has applied gilt medallion with dramatic dragon in low relief. Box and cover interior lined with stained-wood. Stand has wide and tapering shoulder and flat well border with open stained-wood bottom. Marked. Very good condition.
Dimensions: Box: H 2 1/2 x W 6 1/2 x D 4 3/4 in. Stand: H 7/8 x W 8 1/8 x D 6 3/8 in. #BX437
The pottery style know as “nerikomi” or sometimes “neriage” in Japan is a technique where various colors and consistencies of clay are stacked together and then cut through to reveal a unique pattern. Here we see a beautiful execution of this approach by potter Wakasugi Naomi (b. 1974) who spent many years perfecting the technique. Wakasugi typically uses Shigaraki clay and porcelain clay from Kyoto in her works and says that when she first started out very few people were ma...
The craftsman who fashioned this piece, the 9th Ohi Chozaimon (1901-1986), is the most widely recognized and most accomplished of the now 11 generations of Ohi potters. Born in Ishikawa Prefecture at the start of the 20th century, he took up the family craft and, at the age of 26, became the head potter. Raku tea bowls made by Ohi 9 are some of the finest you will encounter, comparing favorably to even tea bowls made by the main Raku lineage in Kyoto. The lightness of the clay, the s...
Hasui Kawase
Kasuga Shrine, Nara
Series: Collection of Scenic Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition.
Size: Oban. 15.375 x 10.25 inches.
Date: 1933
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. Publisher's 6mm seal (printed 1946-1957).
Reference: Hotei #317.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Slight toning. Excellent color.
Gako
Moon, Beach, and Tree
Date: 1910s-30s.
Size: Chuban. Print size: Approximately 10 x 7.75.
Matte board size: 14 x 11.
Signed "Gako" by the artist.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo. Round, red Takemura seal.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Print is fully adhered to the board. The board is foxed.
Arai Yoshimune
Suma Beach
Date 1910s. Printed 1938-1960.
Size: Chuban. 10.75 x 8.0 inches.
Sealed by the artist at lower left.
Publisher: Hasegawa/Nishinomiya Yosaku. From the famous "Night Scenes" series. Hasegawa catalogue No. 1252.
Nishinomiya publisher's seal at left margin.
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Note: The figures on the beach are gathering salt.
Sugimoto Sadamitsu (b. 1935) is one of the most important Shigaraki potters alive today and continues to create master works into his old age. Originally a resident of Tokyo, at the age of 33 he moved to Shigaraki and started creating high-quality tea-ware implements, most notably, fine tea bowls in the style of early Raku masters. A devotee of Zen and a lover of tea, Sugimoto is able to create tea bowls that are not just attractive, pleasant to hold in the hand, and a joy to drink f...
Kihei Sasajima
Shitenno Jikokuten (one of the Four Heavenly Guardians)
Date: ca. 1960s.
Publisher: Yoneda Minoru (impressed colorless seal at lower margin).
Date: 6.5 x 5 inches.
Medium: Woodblock print.
Condition: Toning in margin. Margin trimming.
Kihei Sasajima
The Buddhist Goddess Kisshouten
Date: ca. 1960s.
Publisher: Yoneda Minoru (impressed colorless seal at lower margin).
Date: 7 x 5 inches.
Medium: Woodblock print.
Condition: Slight toning. Margin trimming.
Joichi Hoshi (1911-1979)
Field
Size: 32 inches by 17.25 inches.
Date: 1974.
Edition: 63/99
Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print on gold leaf.
Condition: Light toning at margin. Back margin has tape residue and one reinforced corner.
Note: Please see additional images for texture and metallics.
Italian silver gilt grand-tour bell, ca 1920. Figural handle in form of piping faun with puffed out cheeks and hoofed and hirsute hindquarters. Based on Greek statuette excavated in Pompeii and today in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. Marked. Very good condition with nice toning.
Dimensions: H 4 3/4 x W 2 3/8 x D 1 3/4 in. Weight: 3.6 troy ounces. #BX081
Kasamatsu Shiro (1898 - 1991)
Rice Planting (Taue)
Date: 1953. First edition.
Publisher: Unsodo.
Size: Oban. Approximately 16 x 10.625 inches.
Signed and sealed in Japanese in the image. Signed in English at lower margin.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
"Mandarin Ducks" and "Sparrows on Hedge"
Artist: Seals unread.
Size: Each approximately 5.625 x 3.625 inches 14.2 x 9.2 cm
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto (Nos. 427 and 424).
Medium: Japanese woodblock prints.
Condition: Ink marks as shown. Original fibers within handmade paper.
Early and rarely seen designs.
Italian Midcentury Modern 800 silver box. Rectangular with straight sides and thumb rest. Cover flat and hinged with tab. Allover engine-turned curvilinear ornament in plain borders on sides and cover top. Box underside plain. Marked “800” and stamp (1944-68) for Florentine maker Bartolini Bartolozzi. Condition: Minor bung to upper left corner. Otherwise very good.
Dimensions: H 1 1/2 x W 7 1/8 x D 3 3/4 in. Weight: 9 troy ounces. #BW633
Joichi Hoshi (1911-1979)
Great Tree (Small)
Date: 1975.
Edition: 15/60.
Sheet Size: 9.25 x 6.5 inches.
Image size: 7.25 x 5 inches.
Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist in pencil.
Notes: Yellows, blues and greens in the tree with gold leaf metallics on silvery background. Frequently seen in unlimited edition, here is a rarely encountered numbered example.
Condition: Matte line in margin. Tape residue on back. Foxing in margin and on back.
Ryohei Tanaka
Soaring Birds (Titled in Japanese at lower left)
Medium: Japanese Etching
Date: 1982.
Edition: 78/100.
Signed "T. Ryohei" and dated in pencil.
Paper size: 23.75 x 14.375 inches.
Condition: Outer margin has slight toning.
Federal Classical coin silver flagon. Made by Nicholas James Bogert in New York, ca 1820. Upward tapering cylinder on spread and stepped base. S-scroll handle with ribbed thumb rest and heart terminal. Hinged and domed cover with bud finial. Curved spout with ogee opening. Bold and spare by a historic regional maker. Maker’s stamp. Very good condition with nice patina. A few areas of firescale.
Dimensions: H 13 x W 9 1/4 x D 6 1/4 in. Weight: 33 troy ounces. #BX039
Naoko Matsubara (Japanese-Canadian, born 1937 Tokushima, Japan)
Shrine Market (Tenjin-ichi)
Edition: 47/50
Date: ca 1960s-70s.
Print size: 38.75 x 27.0 inches.
Framed size: 44.5 x 32.75 inches.
Signed, titled, numbered, and sealed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Upper right corner margin has light crease.
Notes: This very large framed print is not available for commercial shipment. Free pickup or delivery in Grea...
Rhymes and Life Scenes of Japan. Calendar for 1903 (28 pp. inc. covers)
Date: Published in 1902.
Publisher: T Hasegawa Publisher & Art-printer,Tokyo.
Size: 6.0 x 4.0 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock prints.
Condition: Back cover has bent corner, stains, and indentations (which carry through to a few of the pages). Front cover lightly creased.
These charming, profusely illustrated books consist entirely of woodblock prints on creped paper bound with silk ties and g...
Helen Hyde
Day Dreams
Date: 1901
Size: 12.125 inches in circumference.
Signed in pencil by the artist.
Edition of 200.
Reference: Mason catalog #37.
Condition: Trimmed margins and laid to board. Some fading.
Note: If desired, we will ship the scuffed circular frame in which the print was found.
Ohara Koson
A Hawk on a Snow-Covered Pine Tree
Date: ca. 1910
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works.
Size: Ko-tanzaku. Approximately 8.875 x 3.875 inches. 20 x 9.5 cm.
Koson signature and seal at lower left.
References: Matsumoto #109(tag on back). The larger Daikokuya-published version of this print is Goshawk on Snowy Pine Branch, which is K13.13 in Crows, Cranes, and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: St...
An example of some of the finest porcelain modern Japan has to offer. According to Wakao Kei, the artist who crafted this piece, it took him years of trial and error to perfect these stunning translucent glazes and associated techniques such as getting the right flowing consistency and pooling effect around the base. The unglazed portions at the foot of the bowl seen here in pictures was created by the artist's fingers as he plunged the vessel into the glaze while holding firmly to the porcelain...
Shotei Takahashi (Hiroaki) (1871-1945)
The Pond of Senzoku
Date: Pre-1923.
Size: Mitsugiriban. 15 x 6.75 inches.
Shotei seal at left.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Reference: M-108 in Shotei catalog. Watanabe #684.
Ota-ku 2005 Catalog #62.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Two pieces of tape at back margin. Light toning. Fray at top left margin. Black fiber in paper at center.
- The blocks for this rare print depicting a pond in Ota-k...
Shotei Takahashi (Hiroaki) (1871-1945)
Onagi River
Date: Pre-1923.
Size: Mitsugiriban. 15 x 6.625 inches.
Shotei seal at lower right.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Reference: M-118 in Shotei catalog.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Two pieces of tape at back margin. Slight toning.
- The blocks for this rare print depicting a soba noodle stand were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
Hiroshi Yoshida
Tansui (Danshui, China)
Date: 1941.
Print size: Chuban. 10.625 x 8 inches.
Brush signed and sealed in the image. Titled and signed in pencil in lower margin.
Jizuri seal at upper left margin indicating a first edition self-printed by the artist.
Publisher: Hiroshi Yoshida
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Reference: Abe catalog #244.
Condition: Some toning and fading. Tape at top back margin.
Hiroshi Yoshida
Chion-in Temple Gate
Series: Eight Scenes of Cherry Blossoms.
Date: 1935.
Print size: Oban. 16 x 10.75 inches.
Brush signed and sealed in the image. Titled and signed in pencil in lower margin.
Jizuri seal at upper left margin indicating a first edition self-printed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Publisher: Hiroshi Yoshida
Reference: Abe catalog #194.
Condition: Two short scratches in stairs (see photo). Tape at ...
Charming Edwardian pendant. Variscite cabochon on 14k yellow gold mount with open and alternating leaves and beads. With bail. United States, ca 1910. Excellent condition.
Dimensions: H (without bail) 1 1/8 x W 3/4 x D 5/8 in. #1215
An interesting contemporary Hagi piece resting on a split-foot (wari-kodai) and a unique glaze patterning that somewhat resembles layers of flower petals. A creation of Morishige Tetsuyo, a native of the famous potting town of Hagi who later studied in Kyoto and eventually took up a position at the family kiln “Renkozan” with tutelage from both his father and grandfather. This particular piece is from a series he began in 2009 aptly named “Kaben” (The petal series). Actively displaying b...
Helene Mass (1871-1955)
Sunshine at the Garden
Date: 1910-20.
Size: 14.75 x 14 inches.
Medium: Woodblock print.
Signed "H. Mass" (Helene Maß) in the image.
Condition: Top margin edge has adhesive residue.
Midcentury Modern brooch. A cluster of lapis lazuli berries mounted to irregular and striated 14k gold leaves. United States, ca 1960s. Very good condition.
Dimensions: L 2 1/4 x W 1 1/2 in. Approximate weight: 12.7 dwt. #1208
Turn-of-the-century Belle Epoque 950 silver and mother of pearl fruit set. Made by Gustave Veyrat in France. This set comprises 24 pieces with 12 forks and 12 knives. Each: Mother of pearl handle with ornamented mounts and lobed oval terminal with bead. Silver is gilt and mother of pearl is tinted brown. In leather-bound case with silk lining and fitted velvet.
Fully marked with maker’s stamp and Minerva head. Case lining has gilt stamp for Monte Carlo retailer. Very good condition with nice...
Ohara Koson
Siberian Blue Robin (Nightingale)
Size: Shikishiban. Approximately 9.75 x 9.5 inches.
Date: ca. 1912.
Koson signature and seal at lower left.
Publisher: Daikokuya.
Reference: K26.3 in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland).
Note: This print is very rare. We've noticed another example in the Rijks Museum collection.
Condition: A conservator has repaired tears at three corners. The artist's name is noted i...
Deceptively simple and notoriously difficult to apply with the calligrapher’s brush in one fluid, arching stroke; the symbol of the ensō has long been associated with strength, elegance, and the simultaneous being and non-being of the universe. A closed ensō (such as the one featured here) is more closely associated with the idea of transcendent perfection, while an open ensō represents movement, fluidity, and attainment in the corporeal world. Though the monk who created this piece, Hasega...
Art Deco bronze urn: $44,000, reduced to $38,000
This Art Deco bronze figurative planter (jardiniere), circa 1920, measures 55" in height, 36" across (elbow to elbow), 18" deep. caste bronze, 150-250 lb. This work was the combined effort of two French sculptors; Pierre Lenoir and Marcel Guillard (1896 - 1932). It is believed two castes of this sculpted urn were made.
Pierre Lenoir (1879 - 1953) was a French sculptor and medallist and was one of the Breton sculptors born in the 1880s ...