Catalog: Antiques (343)

An unusual Kakiemon dish the outer register finely painted with the Shochikubai. The pine, bamboo and prunus painted separately with elongated trailing branches growing from rockwork. The centre painted with a single bough of flowering Camellias, Tsubaki, symbolic of the season of Spring. The reverse painted with a continuous vine arabesque, karakusa and four supur marks arranged in a "Y" shape. An identical dish is to be found in the Sakaida (Kakiemon) family collection...

A finely potted dish decorated with a pattern of scattered shibagaki, bundles of brushwood, which would have formed part of a decorative garden hedge, with boughs of Plum blossom. This pattern was made for the domestic market and would have been particularly appropriate for the celebration of the New Year. The design is referencing the strong winds and storms of early spring. The dish is decorated in a combination of underglaze blue and “Kakiemon” enamels, over-glaze blue, green...

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 fine so-called “Deshima”, or more likely a scene of Scheveningen in the Netherlands or an imaginary composition based upon it, after an unknown original by Frederik van Frytom. Although this is the most reproduced version in the literature the design is actually a sinofication of the original Dutch landscape...

A fine so-called “Deshima”, or more likely a scene of Scheveningen in the Netherlands or an imaginary composition based upon it, after an unknown original by Frederik van Frytom. The bowl is decorated with four elements of the pattern, two figures in a field, a female figure with cow held upon a leash, a rider in a landscape, and a “light-house”, beacon upon a hill...

A large deep bowl made for the Japanese domestic market painted with a “kotobuki” longevity shou character ground in iron red, gold and underglaze blue inset with three ogee lobed reserves with Aoi or Shuro mon within a karakusa style vine arabesque. Framed by bands of stylised Lotus and Jui (ruyi). The well of the bowl is decorated with Peonies...

A large Imari bowl with a scalloped foliate rim made for the European market decorated to the exterior with a wide diaper brocade band incorporating a cross motif and Karahana. The cross in this context probably represents “sen”, one thousand, and combined with the karahana represents an auspicious wish for a long life...

A fine rectangular vase or incense stick holder of slab construction with applied leonine taotie style handles to its narrow sides...

An Ai Kakiemon dish decorated with a repeating pattern of Hosoge, flowers of Precious appearance, which in this case would appear to be representations of auspicious Pomegranate fruits constructed from Ruyi, Acanthus style leaves and other disparate elements. The ring of Hosoge pierced by a circlet binding them together with a gobenka motif in the centre...

A rare Arita export dish decorated in Kakiemon style with a pair of Hoo birds, (Fenghuang or Pheonixes) amongst rocks and flowers, Peonies and Chrysanthemums. The rim decorated with a Bird and vine pattern arabesque. Identical dishes exist painted in this pattern but enamelled in the classic Kakiemon palette. The “Bird bird and vine” pattern appears on “Kakiemon” export teapots of the same period. The curious blobs arranged in groups of three, represent Stars, Hoshi...

Finely potted blue and white Chinese export Canton handleless sugar bowl with minute, barely discernible firing flaws. About 5-1/2" W x 5-5/8" H. No chips, frits, hairlines or repairs. Sugar bowls with braided handles were harder to make and morphed into the later handleless ones, c. 1880-1910. Described as "rare" by the Schiffers in CHINESE EXPORT PORCELAIN, c. 1975. Insured shipping at cost.

An exceptionally fine porcelain bowl made for presentation, kenjo-te. The centre of the dish is decorated with an unusual version of a Karashishi which would seem to be floating upon a feather set against a net like blue ground which has been produced using the shiranaku technique. It is strikingly similar to the karashishi and feather compositions that appear on Chinese porcelain of the Wanli era...

A square shallow bowl in the form of a Japanese rice measure, masu, which was considered to be an auspicious form decorated to the exterior with two Dragons in different stances with two eight character poems with seals. Presumably the shape was intended as a play on the word, namasu, a term used to traditionally describe a serving of pickled vegetables and the related bowl...

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”...

A saucer form dish decorated in a full five colour Ko Imari “wucai”, gosai palette. The design arranged in fuyo-de Kraak style with a border of six sectional compartments each containing a panels of “Persian flowers”, precious objects, and Chinese figures standing upon a bridge in a stylised landscape. The central mikomi painted with rocks, viewing stones, and foliage and Banana plantain, basho, flanking a pair of small “Deshima style” figures, standing on a podium...

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). The area in between with s...

A good example of an “Ai Kutani” style dish decorated with a continuous scrolling vine of Peony flowers with Peony leaves and Buds set against a “frog spawn” type ground, which is typical of the period; see Volume II of the Shibata Collection no 347 for an identical border arabesque there dated circa 1670-80. The reverse of the dish is decorated with a gently undulating vine arabesque incorporating auspicious gobenka, flowers with five petals – see no 344 from the same volume for a sim...

A finely potted large Chinese Imari three colour Charger decorated with a design of a garden with elaborate fence with Lotus finials to the posts and Mudan, flowering Peonies, Asters and various other flowers, coupled with a flowering Baicai, white cabbage (Pak Choi); traditional symbols of prosperity and wealth. The cavetto is undecorated and the rim painted with a further auspicious arabesque of entwined Peonies and Chrysanthemums, symbolising longevity and eternal youth. The reverse is pain...