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Fine Imaizumi Imaemon Nabeshima Dish
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Vintage Arts:
Regional Art:
Asian:
Japanese:
Porcelain:
Pre 1980 item# 430005 (stock# 2B-765)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$365
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This wonderful Japanese iro Nabeshima porcelain dish in octagonal form is hand painted in brilliant enamels on a pure white ground, and the mark of Imaizumi Imaemon is painted in underglaze blue within the foot ring. We believe this dish to be by either Imaemon XII (1897-1975) or early Imaemon XIII (1926-2001), which would date it to the mid-20th century. The front is decorated with large vibrant red and pale yellow hibiscus blossoms and unopened red buds in overglaze enamels. The blossoms and buds are set against feathery leaves painted in underglaze blue and soft overglaze green and yellow enamels. The undecorated reverse side has three underglaze blue rings surrounding the foot. The Nabeshima family kilns were founded in 1660. They produced wares to be used by the feudal lord Nabeshima as presentation pieces for the shogun or other feudal lords, and as a result, the wares were of extremely fine quality. Secrets of manufacture were closely guarded. During the Meiji period, Nabeshima wares were allowed to be sold outside the “family.” The Imaizumi family of decorators, who worked at the Nabeshima kilns from the beginning, has continued to carry on the Nabeshima tradition. Born in 1926, Imaizumi Imaemon gradated from Tokyo University of Art before becoming the thirteenth Imaemon in 1975. Since that time, he has been designated a “Living National Treasure.” In 1971, the iro Nabeshima (colored Nabeshima) style was registered as an important cultural property. Nabeshima wares produced to this day are of uniformly superior quality in materials, shape, painting and glazing. These wares are of the finest quality and are decorated in refined taste – technically, almost equal to the old specimens. Condition of this nearly translucent porcelain dish is perfect. Dimensions: 6 ¾” diameter, ¾” high.
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Kimekomi Ningyo with Signed Wooden Box
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Dolls:
Pre 1940 item# 401472 (stock# 4-248)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$420
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This simply enchanting little Japanese doll in kimekomi style stands on a black lacquer base alongside his black and white puppy. Early Showa period, 1930-1940. The child is holding a black and gold lacquer fan and a strung paper kite. He is dressed in a blue silk kimono which has been dyed and painted to scale. Face and hands are covered with gofun (crushed oyster shell), and the hair is finished in black lacquer. The doll comes in its original wooden tomobako storage box, which is signed on the outside and has a printed label on the inside. The term kimekomi is applied to the special dressing technique used with wooden and sawdust (pulverized paulownia wood) mold-pressed figures – “to push textiles into wood to form a pattern” would be a rough translation. This method was first used with the clothes of wooden Kamo dolls. Condition of this kimekomi doll is excellent, with only a bit of crazing above his right ear. There are a few small tears in the fragile paper kite, and a small piece of wood is missing on the top of the door of the box. Dimensions: Doll is 4” high, including the 3 ½” x 2 ¾” black lacquer base; wood box is 4 1/8” x 3 ¼” x 4 ½” high.
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Kakiemon Porcelain Dish in Ko Kutani Style
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Vintage Arts:
Regional Art:
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Porcelain:
Pre 1930 item# 376604 (stock# 2B-721)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$180
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This decorative Japanese Kutani porcelain plate with a raised “pie crust” edge is hand painted with colorful polychrome enamels in a brilliant Kakiemon palette in Ko Kutani (old Kutani) style. Early 20th century. The base is signed with the typical Kutani black “fuku” or good fortune mark within a double lined square washed over with green enamel. Eight roundels containing different flowers, fruits and maple leaves surround a central medallion composed of chrysanthemums. The rich overglaze enamel palette of iron red, blue, green, yellow and aubergine and heavy gilt create a striking contrast to the bright white ground. The crimped pie crust edge has a repeating diaper design within its border, outlined in a reddish brown glaze (“beni ye”). The reverse is decorated with radiating green enamel “spikes” surrounding the raised foot ring, which is encircled within narrow underglaze blue lines. Kutani, which means nine valleys, is a small village in Kaga Province on the northwest coast of the main island of Japan with a long history of porcelain production. Condition is excellent. Dimensions: 9 5/8” diameter, 1” high.
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Japanese Buddhist Monk Figure: Kobo Daishi
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Vintage Arts:
Regional Art:
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Japanese:
Devotional Objects:
Pre 1930 item# 360477 (stock# 9-089A10)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$275
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This polychromed clay figure seated on a brightly-colored pedestal in a lacquered chair represents the Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi (774-835). Early 20th century. The figure wears traditional brown and saffron colored Buddhist robes. He holds a Buddhist rosary in his left hand and a vajra (mace with four prongs symbolizing a thunderbolt) in his right hand. He sits on a black lacquered wood chair decorated in gold and the typical red, white, green and blue along the edges of the pedestal. His shoes are placed underneath the front of the chair. Kobo Daishi is one of the most venerated figures of early Japanese Buddhism. He was the founder of the Shingon (True Word) sect of Buddhism, as well as a philosopher, poet, educational reformer, painter and calligrapher. CONDITION is very good, with only a little surface dust and dirt and a thin crack on the gold lacquer skirt of the chair. DIMENSIONS: 7” (17.8 cm) high, 5 ½” (14 cm) wide, 4 ¼” (10.8 cm) deep. IF YOU ARE CHECKING OUT THIS ITEM AT AUCTION, WE INVITE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE OTHER JAPANESE AND CHINESE ANTIQUES ITEMS LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE AT www.BandCantiques.com.
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Large Mashiko Folk Pottery Dish, Kaki Glaze
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Pre 1970 item# 351230 (stock# 2B-709)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$250
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This impressive heavily-potted Hamada style Japanese ceramic plate is skillfully decorated with a transparent wax resist design against a brown, black and traditional kaki glazed background. Mid-20th century. The kaki glaze drips over the edge of the lip onto the transparent glaze covering the back in places. The high foot ring is unglazed. Mashiko has been a major folk pottery center since the 1850’s producing primarily utilitarian table wares. Kaki (persimmon red) is one of the most popular Mashiko glazes used on the standard kitchen wares. In the early 1900’s, Shoji Hamada established his kiln there and became internationally famous. The traditional pottery concept was to not pursue artistry apart from everyday life but to create practical beauty as a part of the crafted items to be used in daily living. Folk-craft products or “mingei,” of which this plate is representative, are objects used by common people. These commonplace, functional artifacts are endowed with a beauty directly connected with their utility – a beauty that is simple, humble and unassuming. Condition is excellent. Overall dimensions: 12” diameter, 2 ¼” high.
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Japanese Karuta Cards: 100 Poets
Catalogue:
Vintage Arts:
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Japanese:
Pre 1950 item# 319782 (stock# 9-088)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$235
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This fascinating deck of Japanese karauta cards for a New Year’s card game comes in its original covered lacquered paper box and dates from the early to mid-20th century. Known as the “100 Poet Cards,” the 200 cards used in this game feature short Japanese compositions from “Ogura Hyaku-nin Isshu,” a classic anthology of 100 poems that was compiled in the 13th century. Each of the 100 poems, whose themes are love, the seasons and several other subjects, is by a different author. The deck consists of 100 “yomi-fuda” (“cards to be read”), each containing the full 31 syllables of the short Japanese poem above the portrait of a Japanese man and woman wearing traditional Heian period clothing. The personages pictured in each yomi-fuda card are the actual authors of the verses. The remaining 100 “tori-fuda” (“cards to be gotten”) have shorter and larger text and no picture and contain the last two 14-syllable verses of the matching poem. To play the game, tori-fuda are scattered randomly face up on the floor. A non-participant “reader” then picks one yomi-fuda and starts reading its text. The goal of the players is to quickly recognize the poem and grab the corresponding tori-fuda faster than anyone else. In order to win, players must memorize not only each full 31-syllable poem, but also the position of each scattered card on the floor. The best players are often able to tell the right card upon hearing just the first one or two syllables which are read. The 100 poems card games are so popular in Japan that competitions are held regularly, particularly at New Year’s. The covered red lacquered box, which is divided into two sections, is decorated with a gold lacquer origami crane. The cardboard cards are all in excellent condition, but one yomi-fuda card is missing. The storage box has wear and seam cracks consistent with age and usage. Dimensions: each card is 2 7/8” x 2 1/8”. The box is 6 ¾” x 5” x 3” high.
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Okinawan Tsuboya Ware Hip Flask
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Pre 1960 item# 317930 (stock# 2C-386)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$225
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This portable crescent-shaped ceramic sake container, called a “dachibin,” is one of the classic shapes of Tsuboyan pottery (tsuboya-yaki) and unique to Okinawa. Mid-20th century. The body is randomly covered with a buff colored glaze which exhibits the normal glaze crazing. The pottery biscuit shows through areas along the shoulder and side where the glaze did not spread. There are splashes of rich speckled copper green glaze around the spout and both lugs. The neck is finished in a rich brown glaze, and the unglazed base has the texture of fabric. This flask’s unique shape conforms to the curve of a person’s hip. The flask is filled through the neck in the center, and the inclined, tubular spout directs a stream of sake or water into one’s mouth when the flask is tipped. The flask’s two perforated lugs would accommodate a shoulder cord, so the flask would be handy for journeys or for festivals. Over the centuries, Okinawa has become quite well-known for its cultural heritage and art. One of Okinawa's most distinct and well-known art forms is pottery, and the center for the pottery movement for the past three hundred years has been Tsuboya. This flask is an example of “joyachi” tsuboya ware, which is glazed and often colorful. Throughout the 20th century, Tsuboya had to overcome many challenges, including World War II, but it still remains famous as the center of quality art form pottery on Okinawa. CONDITION is very good, with just a tiny nick in the unglazed corner beneath the spout. DIMENSIONS: 6” long, 2 ½” wide, 4” high.
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Miniature Japanese Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession
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Vintage Arts:
Regional Art:
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Dolls:
Pre 1970 item# 281889 (stock# 4-229)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$175
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This unusual tableau contains a large grouping of miniature Japanese dolls, called “keshi ningyo,” depicting a procession called a Daimyo Gyoretsu or seasonal pilgrimage. Mid-20th century. These tiny hand painted figures -- all less than one inch (2.5 cm) in height -- are made of plaster or clay which has been formed around a metal pin which has been inserted and glued into a silk covered base. There are 24 figures walking and 2 figures on horseback, 3 drummers, 4 flag bearers, and various other figures. The wooden stand becomes the bottom of a signed kiri wood box which serves as a protective lid when the tiny dolls are stored. (For two similar, albeit earlier, examples, see Figure 37 on pages 130-131 of JAPANESE ANTIQUE DOLLS by Jill and David Gribbin and the one on display in the Boone Collection in the Field Museum in Chicago.) Various kinds of miniature dolls (keshi) have been made for years in Japan, including miniatures derived from larger forms. In addition, there are some types of dolls that were exclusively produced to a very small scale, of which the most common are these little plaster figures molded around pins called keshi. Only averaging about a half an inch high, these figures were mounted in groups on oblong wooden stands to create tiny scenes, a favorite theme being the Kabuki play Chushingura. Miniature doll scenes are still made today, but older ones can be recognized by the authenticity of their materials. Old scenes are mounted on a stand of unfinished wood, and the pin-like legs of the dolls are inserted into padded silk. More modern versions are mounted on lacquered or plastic bases. The figures are in pristine condition, as the procession has been closed in its box and safely stored for a number of years. This piece would make a most unusual addition to any Japanese doll collection. Dimensions: Figures are all less than 1” high, box is 13 ¾” x 1 ¾” x 2” high.
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Ornate Old Japanese Kawara Roof Tile Decorations
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Vintage Arts:
Regional Art:
Asian:
Japanese:
Folk Art:
Pre 1930 item# 279180 (stock# 9-079A7)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
$360 for Pair
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These wonderful early 20th century Japanese house roof terminal decorations, called "onigawara” or ridge end tiles, were once mounted at both ends of the clay ridge cap atop of the roof of an old Japanese house and were used for both decoration and as an amulet. (Enlargement photos 9 and 10 show examples of the way onigawara were attached to the roofs of traditional Japanese houses.) This pair has been molded from a type of clay material that has the look and feel of old worn granite, and the fronts of both pieces are decorated with swirling or rolling wave patterns called “hire.” The functional beauty of the elaborate designs on onigawara was made even more impressive given their striking location at the ends of the high roof ridge. The name “onigawara” means literally “demon tiles” because the early end tiles were traditionally molded in the shape of a demon’s head or face, much like a clay gargoyle with the same function, i.e., to ward off evil. Onigawara developed around the middle of the Edo period when the tile roofs became popular for houses, and they reflected the status of the family. These highly decorative and unusual Japanese architectural elements are very popular in Japan. They are not normally found in such wonderful condition, as they usually get broken up and discarded when old houses are demolished. It is also rare to find a pair of onigawara, especially in such a large size. CONDITION is excellent, with only some minor rubbing on the back of the larger onigawara where it rested against the clay ridge cap tile. There is also a small crack above the hole on the back of the larger piece, either from the kiln or from taking if from the ridge cap tile; however, there is no danger of further fracture in the crack. This is an exceptional pair of very decorative and unique Japanese antiques that will display well anywhere in the home or garden. DIMENSIONS: the larger onigawara measures 11" (28 cm) high by 17 3/4" (45 cm) wide by 3 3/8" (8.5 cm) thick and weighs approximately 12 pounds (5.4 kg). The smaller onigawara measures 9 ¼” (23.5 cm) high by 10 ½” (26.7 cm) wide by 4" (10.2 cm) thick and weighs approximately 7 pounds (3.2 kg).
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Mashiko Pottery Dish, Wax Resist Design
Catalogue:
Vintage Arts:
Regional Art:
Asian:
Japanese:
Stoneware:
Pre 1980 item# 172392 (stock# 2B-613)
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B & C ANTIQUES
203-929-7312
SOLD
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This thickly-potted Japanese ceramic plate is decorated with a transparent wax resist design against a rich brown glazed background. Mid-20th century. The brown glaze drips over the edge of the lip onto the transparent glaze covering the back. The high foot ring is unglazed, and there is an impressed mark stamped in a small circle on the glazed base. Mashiko has been a major folk pottery center since the 1850’s producing primarily utilitarian table wares. In the early 1900’s, Shoji Hamada established his kiln there and became internationally famous. The traditional pottery concept was to not pursue artistry apart from everyday life but to create practical beauty as a part of the crafted items to be used in daily living. Folk-craft products or “mingei,” of which this plate is representative, are objects used by common people. These commonplace, functional artifacts are endowed with a beauty directly connected with their utility – a beauty that is simple, humble and unassuming. Condition is perfect. Overall dimensions: 10 7/8” diameter, 1 7/8” high.
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