A rare and elegant set of five lidded bowls representing the highly refined porcelain tradition of Hirado kilns. Each vessel is finely potted from pure white porcelain and covered with a soft translucent glaze, painted in underglaze cobalt (sometsuke) with flowering cherry blossoms (sakura). Sakura are a popular seasonal motif symbolic of renewal, ephemeral beauty, and impermanence in Japanese art and culture.

The bowls exhibit the technical precision characteristic of Hirado ware: th...

A small cast bronze incense burner, depicting an elephant carrying a young Chinese boy musician on its back, who serves as a handle for the lid. Under one of the front legs are two incised Chinese characters, "Gu Mei," meaning "Ancient Beauty," and under the lid a cast Chinese seal mark, likely a workshop or artist's signature, or perhaps a mark of appreciation or good wishes. The metal is covered with a beautiful, natural, aged brown patina. The finishing work is meticulous, with casting impe...

A small cast bronze incense burner. The main body, decorated in relief with phoenix (Ho-ho) motifs, is supported by three columns around which dragons are entwined. The handles are in the form of stylized Buddhist lion figures. The sacred pearl, often depicted as being pursued by dragons, appears here resting on the base between the three columns, in the form of a gilded bronze sphere. Below it, a stylized chrysanthemum flower, an imperial symbol representing stability, is visible. The incense r...

Abstract gold patterns under blue decorate this large basin by important female artist Ono Hakuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yuri Kinsai Kashi Bachi. It is 20 cm (8 inches) diameter, 9.5 cm (4 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
From Aichi prefecture, Ono Hakuko was trained by her father initially in the ceramic arts. However, she was most strongly influenced by the great experimentive artist Kato Hajime (1901-1968) and his work with gold. This affected her ow...

Large Chinese console in black lacquered wood. It stands on four legs linked by lateral and frontal crosspieces. The legs are straight and slightly flared at the bottom, and the rectangular top is framed by a slightly raised edge. The console has a simple, sober and functional appearance, inspired byMing furniture, famous for its formal rigour and aesthetic simplicity. This type of console was traditionally used as an entrance table, a support for ritual objects or a scholar's table.China, early...

Inrô with two compartments in black lacquer and decoration in hiramaki-eand mother-of-pearl inlays(raden)on a hirameijibackground, representing a bouquet of chrysanthemums in a pouch, a butterfly net on the reverse side, and abutterfly in flight on each side. The interior is in hirameijilacquer.Inroare small, divided boxes suspended from the belt which are a part of sagemono(suspended objects). Indeed, their use was developed to solve the lack of pocketsin kimonos. Ojime in bronze with three co...

Huge bronze sculpture in the form of a cicada standing on a bamboo segement. This type of sculpture of small dimensions with a flat base is generally used by calligraphs tomaintain paper sheets as flat as need be on their table. All together with the ink stick, ink stone, brush and paper are known as the four lettré ( scholars) treasures. Cicadas have a very prominent role in Japanese folklore, it symbolizes the arrival of hot summer days. Its songs became an emblematic sound marker of hot weat...

Bronze okimono sculpture with a deep brown patina, representing a lying puppy, probably of shiba inu breed. This kind of subject is common in traditional Nippon sculptures, this specific piece reminds of archaic bronze sculptures. Nevertheless, the puppy is treated with a great sense of detail, especially to represent the texture of the fur and the jingle hanging from the collar on its neck. Being among the twelve animals of the traditional Chinese zodiac, dogs are attached to a prominent symbol...

Sculpture or okimono in bronze of a wavy catfish emerging from calm water, scales are not represented,and its expression of eyes and mouth could be considered naive. One other interesting interpretation could be that itis lying in the mud at the bottom of a stream. Since the XVIIth century, a Japanese myth presents the namazu(鯰) or also called ōnamazu(大鯰) a gigantic catfish living in the mud of the depth of the earth, on its spine is Japan. Previously itwas thought to be a dragon. The nam...

A Chinese Blue and White Cup with Floral and Fish Designs. Circa, 1368-1644, Ming Dynasty. The bowl is elegantly adorned with intricate floral and fish motifs rendered in underglaze blue. At the base, it features a ‘Fu (福)’ mark. Note: the “Fu” mark on Chinese porcelain, often written as "福", translates to "blessing" or "good fortune". It is one of the many auspicious symbols used in Chinese culture and is commonly found on various decorative items, including ceramics. Meas...

Rare Early Nabeshima Dantsu – Japanese Cotton Carpet, 19th–Early 20th Century

A beautiful and very rare early type of Nabeshima Dantsu (Japanese cotton carpet).
This excellent example represents the unique Japanese carpet tradition and remains in very good usable condition.
Little known outside of Japan, these carpets were originally reserved for wealthy samurai lords and prosperous merchants. Traditionally woven to the same dimensions as tatami mats, they were often d...

An exquisite Seto-Guro Chawan Tea Bowl by Kato Kozo enclosed in the original signed owoden box bearing the same title, held in a fine black lacquered outer box (Nijubako) ordinarily reserved only for the finest of pieces. It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter, 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kato Kozo (1935–2023) was a revered Japanese ceramic artist, designated in 2010 as a Living National Treasure for his mastery of the traditional Setoguro (black Seto) ceramic techni...

A sheer porcelain Koro in the shape of a goose dating from the later 19th to early 20th centuries, (Meiji-Taisho period and hailing from the porcelain kilns of Kyushu. It is 23.5 x 14.5 x 21 cm (9-1/2 x 5-3/4 x 8-1/4 inches) and in excellent condition, enclosed in an old wooden storage box titled Mizutori Koro.

Fine Chinese Song Dynasty Qingbai Porcelain "Baby" Bowl

This fine qingbai porcelain bowl was made during the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1127 - 1279). It is quite "thinly-potted" and is coated with a pale greenish-blue qingbai glaze that is finely-crackled in places to the inner surface. The decoration features two (baby) boys on opposite sides of the cavetto surrounded by floral/foliage patterns.

It is a good size with a diameter of 20 cm (7.75 inches) and is in fine condition with no res...

Kawase Hasui
Miyajima at Night
Date: 1930s.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Hasui oval seal at lower right.
Size: Koban. Approximately 5.825 x 3.825 inches.
From same group and 1930s vintage as our Hasui750, which has the Watanabe oval seal "Printed by S. Watanabe Tokyo" on the 7.625 x 5.25 original card.

Reference: Hotei Hp-52.
"Miyajima Torii #899" written on card.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along its top edge only to card.
...

Kawase Hasui
Kenchoji Temple, Kamakura in Rain
Date: 1930s.
Size: Koban. Approximately 5.625 x 3.825 inches.
Hasui oval seal at lower left.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Hasui oval seal at lower left.
Watanabe oval seal "Printed by S. Watanabe Tokyo" on 7.625 x 5.25 original card.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along its top edge only to card.
Condition: Print is excellent. Card is toned.

Tiger head painted in Indian ink on paper. Details in white and yellow pigments. Signature of the artist in calligraphy in Indian ink and stamp stamped in red. We have not found the artist's name. Japan, late 19th century, early 20th century. Good condition. No restoration. Sheet size: 475x355mm, part hidden by the silk frame. Visible part: 394x275mm.

Gray silk embroidered in "petit-point" on a background of blue and white clouds. In the center, a flying bird looks at a sun embroidered in red. The bird is probably a pheasant, which is sewn with gold thread. The pheasant badge was worn by civil dignitaries of the 7th rank. 19th-century Chinese work. No losses or repairs; the silk background is torn in several places, visible in photos. On the reverse, the initials of the former collector: Th L 302x272mm