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

Gorgeous American Retro 18k yellow gold link bracelet, ca 1940s. A dense and interlocking design comprising 3 rows of rectangular links bordered by narrow ones. Satin finish. Fluid and slinky with a nice hang. Marked “750” and maker’s stamp. Fine condition.

Dimensions: H 3/16 x L 6 5/8 x W 1 1/8 in. Heavy weight: 63.1 dwt. #1176  

Turn-of-the-century French Rococo gilt bronze and pink guilloche enamel picture frame. Rectangular window in same surround with beading and leaf-and-dart ornament. Window bordered by diaper with applied flowers and leaves, and open block corners over wraparound pink guilloche enamel. Floral wreath and ribbon crown with torch and quiver. With glass, silk lining, and hinged wire support. Very good condition apart from a few lines in enamel.

Dimensions: Overall frame: H 19 1/8 x W 13 3/4 in. Wind...

American sterling silver inkwell, ca 1880. Four gently curved sides on corner block supports. Cut ornament including scrolls, flowers, and chevrons. Sterling silver neck collar with imbricated leaf borders. Hinged bun cover same; top has chased garland, ribbon, crisscrossing horns of plenty, and laurel wreath surmounted by crown engraved with interlaced script monogram. Marked “Sterling” and Shreve, Crump & Low stamp. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 5 x W 2 1/2 x D 2 1/2 in. #BS209 ...

Koichi Okumura (1904 ~ 1974)
Panoramic View of Mt. Higashi. (Higashi Tenbo)
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.75 x 10.75 inches.
Date: 1948. Later edition.
Publisher: Unsodo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Seated in meditation with open and compassionate heart, this bodhisattva is on a spiritual journey, postponing his own salvation in order to remain on earth to help others achieve enlightenment. In contrast to some images of the Japanese Bodhisattva (Bosatsu), often depicted as austere and inward looking, here, Kimura depicts the Bodhisattva as playful, carefree, and decidedly ornate. The inverted image of white contrast dye on black silk also makes for a striking composition.

A mas...

Toshi Yoshida
Okaramon
Date: 1940. Hand signed and titled.
Size: Chuban. Approximately 10.5 x 8.0 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Jun (Jun'ichiro) Sekino
Postscript Thoughts on "The Book of the Ghost". This very rare booklet with woodblock-printed covers is Sekino's reflections on having produced and self-published the 1950 woodblock-printed work, "The Book of the Ghost". The cover page reads, "Please Read this Little Booklet as a Personal Letter from Me."
Publisher: The artist's Sosaku Shuppan company.
The book is a single sheet folded into eight pages and has a wonderful T. Kato ex-libris inside.
Siz...

Over 400 years ago the first Takatori potter known as “Hachizan” was brought to Japan by the powerful Kuroda clan and was tasked with establishing a kiln in the town of Fukuoka. Since that time, the Takatori lineage has produced many fine works and gained a reputation across Japan for their skill at producing porcelains of thin construction, using many layers of glaze, and with a variety of unique colorations.

Born in 1907, the 11th generation Takatori potter (Seizan), along wit...

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...

Classical sterling silver trophy cup. Traditional amphora urn with high-looping side handles and stepped and raised foot. Cover domed with engraved bands and acorn finial. A nice cup with lots of room for engraving. Marked “Sterling / By / Fina”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 12 x W 8 x D 5 1/8 in. Weight: 28.5 troy ounces #BT261

Katsuhara Shinya (Tatsuhara Inuki) (1951-2015)
A woman with mirror in art deco style
Size: 16.25 x 7.25 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Date ca.: Late 20th century, pre-1995.
Edition: 72/200 numbered in pencil on back.
Signed "Shinya" in the image and sealed.
Enlargement 2 shows the upper part of the print in which the black background features a checkerboard pattern that only becomes visible in side light.
Condition: Excellent.

Pair of Modern Georgian sterling silver candlesticks. Made by Blackinton in North Attleboro, Mass., ca 1940. Knopped baluster shaft on domed foot. Reeding. A voluptuous interpretation of a traditional form. Fully marked and numbered A100. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 12 x D 5 1/4 in. Weighted. #BT087

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...

When the founder of the Urasenke style of tea ceremony, Senso Soshitsu (1622 -1697) was invited to Kanazawa as the lord of the tea ceremony for the powerful Kaga lords in 1666, the first Chozaemon came with him and established Ohi-yaki ware in Kanazawa. Chozaemon had been the chief apprentice for the Raku family in Kyoto and took with him many of the principles and ideas associated with Raku-ware. Since those auspicious beginnings, Ohi-ware has held a high place in the world of tea ceremony desp...

German 800 silver wine trolly nef, ca 1920. A 3-mast galleon with billowing sales and complicated rigging. Gun ports open and cannons ready to fire. Lots of deck action, too with fighting swordsman and fallen sailors. Holds a special cargo because wood-style hull is a wine trolly. Figurehead spigot with threaded plug, and dolphin side mounts with rotating wheels for cruising across the table. Gives new meaning to the expression “getting sloshed”. Memorable dinner party guaranteed.

Hana...

Chrysanthemum sterling silver dinner set. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1890.

This set comprises 145 pieces (dimensions in inches): Forks: 24 dinner forks (7 1/2), 12 salad/terrapin forks (6 3/8), 12 seafood forks (6), and 12 ice cream forks (5 5/8); Spoons: 10 teaspoons (5 5/8), 12 round gumbo spoons (7 3/4), 12 bouillon spoons (5 1/2), 10 grapefruit spoons (5 3/4), and 6 tablespoons (8 1/4); Knives: 12 dinner knives (10 1/8), 12 lunch knives (8 7/8), and 11 butter spreaders (5 3/4).

Jumbo big game-era safari flask. Made by George Unite in Birmingham in 1888. Glass body. Upper part encased in leather with cut-away vertical windows. At bottom detachable sterling silver cup engraved with armorial. Sterling silver collar with hinged and cork-lined ball cover engraved with same. The alpha model. Holds enough booze for everyone around the campfire. Fully marked. Very good condition with some handling wear from all those big sweaty hands.

Dimensions: H 11 x W 5 x D 2 1/2 in. #B...