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.

A technique most commonly seen in Tenmoku tea bowls, “konoha” is accomplished by applying a coating to an actual leaf and then attaching the leaf to the surface of an artwork before firing. The exact details of this process seem somewhat murky as it appears to be a well-guarded secret among potters. After some research we were unable to identify the potter; and, although there is a signature on the bottom that appears to read “Raishō,” we could find no potter by this name. R...

At various times over the long history of tea practice in Japan, Korean-ware has come into high fashion and ships full of the finest ceramics from the neighboring country were brought to its shores. Such pieces have long been favored by learned cha-jin (tea people); and, older pieces such as this are quite prized today as relatively few from this era have survived in good condition. While it is possible this piece is of Japanese origin, its apparent age would make it more likely to h...

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. ...

Belle Epoque Classical 950 silver wine bottle holder. Made by Odiot in France, ca 1890. Open body comprising two rectilinear supports mounted to round bowl with straight sides. Conical neck with adjustable screws. Leaf-capped double-scroll handle. Meandering fruiting grapevine on stippled ground. Perfect for enjoying a special vintage. Note: The bowl is smallish, so the best fit is going to be one of the really old bottles down in the cellar. Fully marked with Minerva head and maker’s stamp....

Austrian Classical gilt-washed 800 silver box, ca 1875. Ovoid and bellied on plain inset foot. Cover hinged and domed with cast figural finial: A little girl sits cross-legged and barefoot and rests her hand on the back of a hungry animal while spooning sustenance into its mouth. Engraved ornament: Leafing rondels inset with heads alternating with same shaped frames (vacant) on engine-turned border. Shoulder has leaf-and-dart border and cover top leaf-and-patera border. Fully marked including ...

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...