Catalog: Antiques (343)

A good quality large Japanese Imari bowl made for the European market decorated with a cobalt blue ground inset with a scrolling arabesque of Peonies in a highly stylised manner. The stems picked out in yellow enamels and the leaves veins in iron red. The flowers conventionally painted in iron red and gilt. Reserved against this ground are two quite large Ruyi shaped reserves containing a Pine and a Plum tree growing from a conventionalised rocky out-crop...

A large Kakiemon low bowl painted in underglaze blue with some light enamelling in yellow, green and iron red, somenishikide style made for the Japanese domestic market. The central reserve superbly painted in sansui landscape of mountainous cliffs overhanging a body of water with two small fishing boats. The cavetto of the bowl decorated with the shochikubai, the Three Friends of Winter. The reverse decorated with krakusa with chrysanthemum form blooms, symbols of longevity...

An impressive large shallow dish of foliate form decorated with a pair of auspicious Hoo birds with Kiri (Pawlonia) painted principally in underglaze blue which trail over the rim on to the reverse of the dish; an “over the wall pattern”...

Large Ko Imari Shochikubai Roundels Dish c.1730 No 2 An unusual dish decorated with a principal motif of three wreaths, wahana, each representing one of the three elements of the Shochikubai, further intersected and linked by a central ring all painted in underglaze blue with some gilt outlining. A type of design that is more frequently found used in the context of Lacquer and textiles...

A rare English soft paste porcelain copy of a Ko Imari Kinrande Kikugata Bowl with janome, bulls eye base. This class of porcelain in Japan is usually attributed to the late Edo period, c.1750-1780. This particular bowl is attributed to the Worcester factory in the Marshall Collection at the Ashomolean Museum, but it is now thought that these bowls were manufactured at the Derby factory...

A (North) Korean bronze mirror of petaloid form decorated with floral scrolling to the interior of the rim. The raised border of the central reserve following the petaloid form of the mirror edge. The reserve is divided into five repeating sections each terminating in "spearhead motifs", possibly a leaf with tendrils either side, both from the central boss and the raised border (10 in total, five from the boss pointing outwards, five from the border pointing inwards)...

A bowl or cup of unusual Klapmuts form with an angled everted rim decorated in under-glaze blue with Auntumn grasses, akikusa. Shards of identical cups have been excavated from the Okawachi kiln site and dated to the late Edo period and the first half of the Nineteenth century. The bowl measures 9.8cm in diameter and stands 6.8cm high and the foot-ring measures 3.4cm in diameter. It is in good condition with no cracks, chips or restoration...

A good Nabeshima dish from the Nabeshima clan’s Okawachi kiln of oval boat shaped form, perhaps inspired by the boat shaped ingots, sychee or yuanbao, and decorated with an auspicious pattern of a pair of Goldfish swimming amongst water weeds. This particular pattern and shape belongs to a group of wares that were approved by the Shogun Ieharu in 1774 and were produced throughout the late Edo period for the consumption of the Shogunate. (See Nabeshima Porcelain for the Shogunate)...

A nagazara of conventional rectangular form with compressed indented corners decorated in underglaze blue with a Chinese style landscape featuring a small viewing pavilion on a bridge. The reverse decorated with a stylised peony and a “classic” comb border to the footring, This dish was produced at the Nabeshima fief’s official kiln at Okawachi in Arita for the Shogun in the late Edo period c.1820-60. The dish measures 20.8cm long and is 11cm wide...

. A Nabeshima style dish hand painted with an underglaze blue “karahana” pattern. The reverse decorated with Shippo-tsunagi, six coins bound with trailing ribbons to the reverse and a comb pattern to the foot. The dish measures 18.5cm in diameter (six suns) and stands 4.5cm high. The foot-rim measures 8.6cm in diameter and is 1.2cm high. The dish is in good condition no cracks, chips or restoration...

A pair of a very well painted Kutani porcelain sake bottles painted in “Kenjo Imari” style painted with gilt karakusa to the neck with various marumon, a band of diaper to the shoulder, and further aka-e dama, and stylised karahasna-mon. to the body of the bottle. The vases are thinly potted and wreathing to the interior of the neck suggests that they were originally thrown in two parts...

A pair of Arita plates decorated in underglaze blues with enamels. The centre painted with a large tripod censer containing Spring flowering Peonies on a low table flanked by a pair of flower vases, containing Autumn flowering Pinkes and Chrysanthemums with a pair of birds. The rim painted with a pair of Hoo birds with Chrysanthemums and Peonies. The plate on the left uses blue enamels, as found in the Kakiemon palette, rather than aubergine enamels as used on the right...

A decorative pair of Imari Beaker Vases made for export to the West brightly enamelled with traditional Japanese motifs. The main part of the vase is painted with a Crane symbolising longevity with the three friends of Winter, the shochikubai, the Pine, Bamboo and the Japanese Apricot (Prunus tree). Whilst the upper part of the vase is decorated with a two part frieze, the first a Garden room with tied Curtain, and the second part a stream, ruisuimon, and Maple leaves, momiji, an allusion to a...

A very unusual pair of moulded dishes in the form of three bamboo leaves, take, cobalt blue glazed with gilt and iron red Sparrows , Suzume, set against a woven ground in gold. A variant on the popular Sparrow and Bamboo pattern, “Takesuzume”. The reverse painted in iron red with precious objects, scrolls. The dishes are graduated the largest measures in 21.5cm in length and iis 3.5cm in height and 13cm in width, and the smaller measures in 18cm in length and is 3cm in height and 11cm in ...

A pair of Arita dishes moulded in Ko Sometsuke Kraak style decorated with a pair of scholars playing Go, one of the four accomplishments of the Chinese gentleman scholar. In which one of the pair of figures is parodied in mitate style as a proud Rooster and Hen. A short eight character poem is incorporated in the design, but is probably unrelated to the figures, reflecting the contemporary popularity of haigu combinations of painting and poetry during the late Eighteenth century. The second dish...

A pair of Arita dishes moulded in Ko Sometsuke Kraak style decorated with a pair of scholars playing Go, one of the four accomplishments of the Chinese gentleman scholar. In which the first of the pair of figures is parodied in mitate style one of whom has a board on his head and one presumes losing opponent has a miserable expression. A short eight character poem is incorporated in the design, but is probably unrelated to the figures, reflecting the contemporary popularity of haigu combinatio...

A fine pair of small tray form dishes with upturned vertical rims decorated in somenishikide style. The central reserve, mikomi, decorated with a stylised “sansui” landscape containing the key components of land and water. The borders decorated with underglaze blue diaper inset with stylised floral motifs. The reverse decorated with a well painted hagi karakusa pattern inset with Lotus flowers, and an auspicious four character fuki chosun marks. They date to the late Mid Edo period circa 175...

A pair of small serving bowls of five petal form, rinkagata namasu-zara, decorated with a stencilled pattern of imbricated waves, seigaiha, with cherry blossom, sakura-hana inset with two small reserves containing prunus and bamboo boughs. The reverse painted with a simplified Lotus scroll and a four character Dai in nensei mark. A dark brown fuchibeni “lip rouge” glaze to the rim. They measure approximately 14.2cm in diameter and stands 4.2cm high to the rim. The dishes are in good conditi...