Catalog: Antiques (338)

A small bronze mirror of bulls eye form, 69mm in diameter 7.5mm in height with a rounded boss surrounded by a thin raised concentric ring to the centre with a raised edge and partial concave profile to the rim. The mirror is in very good condition, please see photos. Shipping within the UK is included in the sterling price and worldwide tracked shipping in the US dollar price.

A rare set of three Deshima (Scheveningen) small bowls of lobed lotus petal form, two of which have all the elements of the traditional Deshima pattern, cups in this pattern appear to be exceptionally rare in the literature compared with flat wares, and one with a Chinese interpretation of the scene, where the figures and landscape are transposed into Chinese Immortals and a traditional Chinese style landscape, examples of which appear in the Burghley Collection etc...

A set of five drinking cups, choko, that are decorated with a pattern of underglaze blue bifurcated pines set against a ground of iron red bamboo leaves, with an irregular cloud shaped reserve containing a gilt and iron red prunus tree with a pine bark lozenge superimposed containing a stylised cherry blossom motif set against a seeded green ground...

A set of five Sake cups of tapering cylyndrical form, nozoki, decorated in underglaze blue with a diaper border, renzuku mon, to inside of the mouth, and an iron red diaper ground inset with shaped reserves or mikomi, each containg a gilt outlined and enameled Suisen, the Japanese Narcissus with Chrysanthemum demi florets in iron red and gilt with matsuawabishi mon in underglaze blue flanking them...

A set of five Arita sake cups, guinomi, in tsutsu-gata form decorated in sometsuke style with a scrolling vine arabesque, hagi-karakusa, imitating the habit of the Bush clover, hagi, a member of the Vetch family one of the seven plants emblematic of Autumn...

A set of five soba choko, straight sided cups, so called boars mouth cups, decorated with a pattern of a grape vine and a wasp (hachi, bee, wasp or hornet) an autumnal motif. Curiously the grapes have been inverted to resemble the more familiar pomegranate. These would have probably been used for serving sake rather than soba noodles. The cups measure in 8cm diameter and are 6.4cm in height. They are in excellent condition, no cracks, chips or restoration...

A set of five, sometsuke tusurugata kozara, blue and white Crane shaped small dishes dating to the late seventeenth century. An identical set of dishes is illustrated in volume II of the Shibata Collection at page 272 no 714, there dated c.1680-1710. Their condition is good all the dishes show crazing to the glaze, two have a minute chip each to the edge. Similar shaped dishes have been excavated from the Sarukawa kiln at Arita...

A curious set of sake cups decorated with auspicious leaping Carp, Koi, amongst water weeds with stylised waves with ao-dama, blue balls decorated with a repeating scale or imbricated wave pattern, seigaiha, painted in a limited palette of just iron red, gilt and underglaze cobalt blue. The base of the cup painted with an overlapping lotus leaf border. The rim of the bowls decorated with a diaper pattern with small reserves containing auspicious lotus flowers...

A fine square form dish kakuzara decorated with a scene of a large Pavillion or Temple Complex set upon a lakeside shore with Peony scroll motifs to two corners and a high foot ring with traditional comb foot. The design is one of those originally selected by the Shogun Ieharu (1737-1786) in 1773, and continued to be tendered and reserved for presentation to the Shogun during the Edo period...

A very finely painted Nabeshima Okawachi porcelain bowl on a high footrim of Mokuhaigata form decorated in under-glaze blue with a pattern of five Hydrangea's in Bloom painted in “Korin Style”. The reverse decorated with three Peony motifs, botan karakusa, and the foot-ring with finely painted kushide comb pattern to the outside of the footring. The dish dates to the late Edo period circa 1800-1840...

A fine large fan shaped sweetmeat dish decorated with a central motif of a wide mouthed baluster form vase flanked by a pair of rectangular shallow sand filled bronze trays, suiban, containing arrangements of Cherry, Camelia, Chrysanthemums and Pinkes...

A rare serving dish with a reticulated border of interlocking rings, richly enamelled and gilded, the centre decorated with a reverse painted, kakewake, scene of three White Herons, san shirasagi, a classic motif found on Arita porcelain from the mid seventeenth century, surrounded by marshland plants, the distinctive heart vine, Aoi, and Kuwai, the Japanese arrowhead...

An unusual rectangular small Koro, Incense burner, decorated in under-glaze blue, iron red and gilding set upon four small feet. Each side of the censer is decorated with bands of diaper brocade inset with rectangular panels containing stylised arabesques set against an iron red ground. The square end panels suggesting a Taotie mask. The koro is of slab construction with applied moulded feet. It measures 8cm long and 6.7cm wide and stands 7.5cm high...

An unusual deep square moulded bowl with a slightly everted rim decorated both to the exterior and the interior with stylised dragon and floral motifs within iron red grounds and leaf and lotus motifs to the corners. The rim decorated with an underglaze blue diaper band inset with small stylysed floral motifs...

A very unusual octagonal dish in new style enamels dating to around the year 1800, featuring three figures, the main of which is a figure wearing a buttoned jacket and perhaps a klapmut style hat with distinctive slops, which identifies him as a seaman, rather than the more usual merchant; see last image no 6 a late 18th century print of a Sailor in “slops”. The tight curls of his hair betray his foreign origin, although he retains an overall oriental appearance...

A very unusual dish decorated in somenishiki-de style with a fanciful landscape featuring a Namban figure, a Portuguese perhaps rather than a Dutchman, accompanied by a servant with parasol, walking to and from some sort of compound in the background with a curious barrel shaped tower. The well of the bowl and the exterior decorated in underglaze blue with a Shou symbol, Kotobuki, and three pussy foot Dragons to the exterior of the bowl...

A very unusual shallow bowl decorated in somenishiki-de style with a fanciful landscape featuring a Namban figure, a Portugese perhaps rather than a Dutchman, accompanied by a servant with parasol, walking to and from some sort of compound in the background with a curious barrel shaped tower. The well of the bowl and the exterior decorated in underglaze blue with a Shou symbol, Kotobuki, and three pussy foot Dragons to the exterior of the bowl...

A nice quality Ko Imari bowl decorated with three ogee shaped niches containing a stylised Lotus motif against an iron red ground inset against a diaper brocade ground over painted in light gilt with a figure of a Daoist immortal carrying a pine bough over his or her shoulder...