Catalog: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian (155)

Vintage Chinese jade carved plaque with oval recessed area depicting Boddhisattva Guanyin in low relief, and the rest of both front and back covered with Chinese characters spelling the Lotus Sutra. Beautiful true nephrite jade of delicate celadon color...

Pair of unusual and strange Japanese seals made out of porcelain in a shape of seated rakans (original disciples of the Buddha recognizable by their long earlobes) in different attitudes and with differently colored glazes. Superb and unique modeling done in ittobori (one cut) style more typical for wood carvings from Hida Province and in that instant producing amazingly modernist sculptures...

Vintage Japanese okimono of one of the 3 wise monkeys in their habitual "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” attitude - in this case Mizaru covering his eyes. Carved in ittobori (one cut) style typical for the Hida school. Very clever rendition of the animal, much more creative and challenging as a number of intersecting planes versus natural familiar rounded lines. Very clever use of ichii (yew wood), its texture nicely imitating fur of the animal, in excellent condition...

Netsuke representing a theatrical mask of Hyottoko - a perplexed peasant - carved by Ryoshu (born in 1912) - one of the best Japanese netsuke carvers of the 20th century (see p. 886 of NETSUKE & INRO ARTISTS AND HOW TO READ THEIR SIGNATURES by George Lazarnick). Wonderful expressive face, black and red ink highlights, beautiful finish to the surface. Signed RYOSHU on the back. Height 1 inch.

Vintage Japanese wooden kogo (box for incense during tea ceremony), its cover carved in a shape of the Zen Patriarch Daruma wearing a monk’s cape, and with gold lacquer on the inside. Beautiful dense fruitwood, carving is done in ittobori (one cut) style characteristic for the Hida school of carvers. Wonderful face, in excellent condition. Signed KAZUICHI SAKU (made by Kazuichi) on the bottom. Diameter 2.1 inches, height 1.5 inches. Part of a small East Coast kogo collection.

Japanese scroll painted with ink and colors on silk depicting a daimyo (feudal lord) in full military armor and a quiver full of arrows on his back before a battle. He is seated on a low chair on top of a tiger skin, a low table with sake cup, chopsticks and few small plates with condiments. There is a stretched textile screen behind him and a kneeling armored attendant holding a tall narrow banner...

Vintage Japanese okimono of a sitting dog carved in ittobori (one cut) style typical for the Hida school. Very clever rendition of the animal, much more creative and challenging as a number of intersecting planes versus natural familiar rounded lines. Very clever use of ichii (yew wood), its texture nicely imitating fur of the animal. Wonderful face, in excellent condition, pyrographic (burned) stamp of the maker on the bottom. Height 2 3/4 inches.

Japanese scroll painted with ink and colors on silk depicting a court lady wearing superbly rich formal juni-hitoe (12 layers kimono) attended by a young girl, all among pine saplings and with a sun rising through the early morning haze...

Book NETSUKE: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY BASED ON THE M. T. HINDSON COLLECTION by Neal Davey, Faber & Faber, London, 1974. Hardcover, dust jacket, 564 pages, 12”x8.25”. Absolutely essential reference book with thorough descriptions and black and white photos of 1322 netsuke with some 300 actual signatures. Most valuable part is an index of 3425 known netsuke artists with their names in Japanese characters, type of work, time period and preferred medium...

Japanese scroll painted with ink and colors on paper depicting the Rokkasen (Six Famous Poets of Japan that lived in 9-10th century) seated on the ground in different attitudes. Wonderful Zen quality to the brushwork, great composition, beautiful use of color. Brocade silk mounts, lacquered wood scroll ends. Inscribed with a short poem, signed KEIZAN, and marked with red paste seal and another seal lower on the painting. Scroll size 60x15 inches, painting size 26.5x10.5 inches.

Set of 6 Chinese jade and hardstone musical instruments, each on a matching rosewood stand. Instruments include a drum with a pair of drumsticks, gong with striker, cymbals, reed flute and 2 string instruments, one of them (erhu) with a bow. Very well made, in great condition. Length of the erhu 4 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with blue and red core, four pink petaled flowers with numerous white stamens, leaves and fine tiny silver foil inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.77 inches.

Vintage pair of cut jadeite pieces to be used as Chinese scholar’s scroll weights. Stone of olive green color with natural lines and differently colored veins, sides showing the skin of the boulder from which the pieces were cut. Nicely polished, very pleasing objects for a scholar’s desk. Height (left one of the first photo) 2 11/16 inches, weight of the left one 265 grams (9.4 ounces), the right one 210 grams (7.4 ounces).

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with four white petaled flowers with multicolored stamens, leaves and fine tiny silver foil inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.8 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with milky white core and a band of multicolored flowers with fine tiny silver foil inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.74 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with nine yellow petaled flowers with orange stamens, leaves and 24K gold leaf inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.8 inches.

Glass ojime (slide bead for tightening the cord going from netsuke to inro) in a form of tombodama bead in barrel shape with 5 bunnies frolicking in the snow by spruce trees during a snowfall. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Beautifully made, very pleasant patina. Diameter 0.69 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with rich multicolored ribbon core and four pink petaled flowers with yellow stamens. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.8 inches.