A delightful Shakudo brooch featuring a laughing face with exaggerated features including large copper lips as well as copper rope detail. Made in Japan. Meiji era, ca. 1880. Excellent condition with lovely patina.

Dimensions: H 3/4 x L 1 3/4 in. #1118

Decidedly masculine in character with straight sculpted edges, a rich palette of color, and a calm steadiness in the hand; this tea bowl was crafted by one of Japan’s great masters, a Mashiko potter by the name of Takauchi Shugo.

A native of Tokyo, Takauchi (b. 1937) took the well-established path of working for a company after graduating from university and it was not until a number of years later—upon visiting the town of Mashiko and being inspired by the works of artists such...

Hiroshige Ando
Suidobashi, Surugadai (Suido Bridge and Surugadai)
Date: Thursday, December 3, 1931.
Size: 7.625 x 5 inches (19.5 x 12.6 cm).
Note: Concert and tea party menu for the passenger ship Chichibu Maru on the N.Y.K. Line.
Publisher: Nippon Mokuhan Co. Tokio (Japan Woodblock Co. Tokyo).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print made from a carved wood block. Mechanization may have been added to the printing process.
Condition: Cover woodblock print very good to...

This piece is described on the box as a Hikidashi Kuro Chawan. In Japanese hikidashi means “a pull-out drawer” and the term first came into use at Mino kilns in the 16th century to describe individual pieces that were pulled out of the wood kiln at the peak of firing to gauge if the batch was ready. The rapid cooling of such pieces often creates dramatic effects, with the most noted being rich varieties of deep black. Today this practice has fallen out of use and and only a handful of master...

Colonial sterling silver ale pitcher. Made by Old Newbury Crafters in Newburyport, Mass. Curved bowl with reeded staves; c-scroll handle and sharp v-spout. For serving ye olde fermented refreshment. Fully marked including maker’s and craftsman’s (Fletcher S. Carter) stamps as well as phrase “Boston / Museum of Fine Arts / Reproduction”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 5 x W 6 1/2 x D 3 1/2 in. Weight: 10.5 troy ounces. #BY462

Tokoname pottery has a rich history that dates back over a thousand years. Originating in the town of Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, this pottery tradition has flourished due to the region's abundant red clay deposits. The history of Tokoname pottery can be traced to the 12th century when the art form was greatly influenced by Chinese ceramics, specifically, by the Yixing clay pottery tradition. Over the centuries, Tokoname pottery evolved to develop its unique style characteri...

Japonesque sterling silver spoon. Made by George W. Shiebler & Co. in New York, ca 1885. Tapering stem and round terminal; front hand-hammered and applied with a bug and bit of bamboo. Oval bowl. Back plain. Fully marked including maker’s and retailer’s (Theodore B. Starr) stamps. Very good condition. Dimensions: H 6 3/8 x W 1 3/8 in.;

With: Victorian sterling silver spoon. Made by same, ca 1891. Cast terminal in form of leafing nutmeg on stem. Back plain with engraved 3-letter script mon...

The style of this vase, known in Japanese as karakane (“kara” meaning Chinese and “kane” meaning copper), has been carried on by Japanese craftsmen since its theorized introduction during China’s Tang Dynasty. Falling in and out of fashion over the centuries as Japan alternated between preferences for Chinese style tea-ware and more homegrown versions, today it remains a common fixture in many tea rooms. With beautiful red accents on a dark background, this is surely one of this artist...

The artist who produced this piece, Wataru Motomura, prides himself in living a traditional life in the eastern hills of Kyoto—long known for its rich clay and idyllic pastoral lands. Though the form of this vessel appears innovative and modern, the techniques and materials used to produce it have been around for many hundreds of years. Taking inspiration from the varied pottery traditions of his native Hyogo, Motomura is also known to use clay and methods from the Shigaraki region and many of...

Andrew Kay Womrath (1869-1939)
In collaboration with Yoshijiro Urushibara (1888-1953)
Venice at Night
Size: Chuban. Approximately 11.625 x 8 inches.
Edition: 3/50 OR 33/50. Numbered in pencil at lower left.
Date: ca 1920s.
Signed "A Kay Womrath" in pencil.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Foxing nearly entirely in margin. Margin blank at lower left.
Note: An example of this night scene is paired with its daytime version in the Smithsonian ...

This small vessel, similar in a shape to a tokkuri, is a fine example of Oni Shino (carbon trap and natural ash glazing) that Tsukigata is so well-known for. Coining the term in the mid-50’s after countless failed experiments—which ultimately culminated in the discovery of this unique style of pottery—“Oni” translates roughly to demon or ogre. Fired at extreme temperatures for days in an anagama, the iron in the clay and in the glaze fuse, drip, and coalesce—while at the same time bl...

Katsuhira Tokushi (1904-1971)
Rice Bales (Fumidawara)
Date: 1932
Bears the round "Toku" seal.
Size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.5 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Unframed.
Katsuhira Tokushi was a true folk artist, as he grew up in rural Akita Prefecture without encountering other artists and their work.

First presented at the Ishikawa Traditional Crafts Exhibition, this fine mizusashi crafted with extraordinary precision is a testament to the generational knowledge, skill, and dedication of one of Japan’s top traditional craftsman. Its tapered polished sides have a beautiful texture and luster that compliment perfectly with the hand-crafted custom lid adorning the top. Truly an exceptional artwork fused with the aesthetics of tea culture that gives it a sense of stability, calm, a...

Pair of Japonesque sterling silver open salts. Made by John C. Moore for Tiffany & Co. in New York. Round with open rectangular bracket handles and straight foot. Engraved overlapping seals decorated with modish motifs, including fan, bug, vase, and bamboo. Foot decorated with acid-etched spirals and lunette-form flower heads, and pierced leaves. Union Square mark (1870-5) with pre-1875 pattern no. 3007 and order no. 901. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 7/8 x W 4 5/8 x D 3 3/8 in. Total w...

English Modern sterling silver box. Tall and rectangular with curved corners. Cover hinged with gently curved top and double-scroll tab. Box interior cedar-lined with open leather-lined bottom. Cover interior gilt. Worn marks including maker’s stamp for Arthur & John Zimmerman, a Birmingham maker active from the 1920s to 1940s. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 4 x W 6 1/4 x D 4 7/8 in. Gross weight: 33.7 troy ounces. #BV990

With pottery shards from excavated kilns dating back to the 5th Century, Mino-ware is one of the oldest and most revered pottery traditions in all of Japan. Though the piece featured here does not fit neatly into any of the typical categories of Mino pottery such as Kiseto, Setoguro, Oribe, or Shino; the shape and overall feel of this piece unmistakably places it within this pottery tradition.

Exceptionally well-proportioned and utterly unique, this tea bowl displays a ...

Plique à jour enamel and gilt sterling silver bowl. Made by David Andersen in Norway, ca 1925. Inspired by Viking longboat with dragonhead stempost and tail sternpost, and rim comprised of warrior’s shields. Oval form for stealthy gliding. Planks with filigree rinceaux. Stylized Arts & Crafts ornament. Translucent green, red, yellow, and purple. Marks include maker’s stamp. Excellent condition with strong and intact color.

Dimensions: H 4 x W 6 5/8 x D 3 1/4 in. #BY195

A truly unique work of Shino pottery developed among the company of some of Japan’s most respected and influential potters of the last century. Defying conventions of form and genre, this exceptional mizusashi looks like it could have emerged from the ground fully formed, the result of geological processes lasting millennia. The creator of this fine work is none other than Tsuboshima Dohei, a true master of the ceramic arts.

Born in 1929, at the age of 17 Tsuboshima took an appre...