Anonymous

Edo period, 18/19th century

1615-1868

Kuro-dana Cabinet

This very rare kuro-dana cabinet in the official lacquer design of the Tokugawa family decorated in peonies and arabesques with scattered aoi crests in gold and silver takamakie on a black roiro ground. Solid silver mounts and decorated inner doors of civilians in takamakie and nashiji. This cabinet would have been from a marriage set of two large cabinets and many other items such as cups, bowls, ceremonial incense implements, writing boxes, and so on. normally given by the father who would have commissioned it for his child’s birth in order to have it ready for the occasion in time.

Unsigned

770mm x 700mm x 390mm

Abroham Follett Osler esq

The cabinet was supposedly owned by a kuge “court noble” Konoe San of the Tokugawa family, it was shipped by a Mr Frank Major Osaka to Birmingham on the 13th of October 1877 by steamboat.

The owner of the cabinet in Birmingham was Abraham Follett Osler Esq (1808 to 1903) who was a pioneer in the measurement of meteorological and chronological data. He wanted to improve accurate local time and so built an astronomical clock outside the Birmingham Philosophical Institution in Canon Street. After some time this was synchronized by telegraph to Greenwich Mean Time. The clock was transferred to the Birmingham and Midland Institute after the closing of the BPI in 1852.

In 1883 he gifted the clock and bells for 'Big Brum', located in the clock tower of the new art gallery.

He also ran the family's glass manufacturing company in Broad St which displayed the world's first glass fountain in the Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace. Perhaps the most striking object in the Exhibition. The lightness and beauty, as well as the perfect novelty of its design, have rendered it the theme of admiration with all visitors.’

Glass fountain at the Great Exhibitionof 1851

Unknown artist

late Edo / Meiji period, 18th/19th century

1800-1912

Tea Caddy

A small and delicate lacquered tea box in the form of a chatsubo “tea jar”. Beautifully worked in gold and red hiramakie depicting peonies on a cloth wrapped lid with a gold kinji ground body just falling short of the base to simulate glaze.

The storage box has inscribed on the lid in red lacquer that this has come from Tofuku-ji temple in Kyoto. Tofuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Hiyashiyama-ku in Kyoto. Tōfuku-ji takes its name from two temples in Nara, Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji. It is one of the so-called Kyoto Gozan or "five great Zen temples of Kyoto".

Tōfuku-ji was founded in 1236 by the imperial chancellor Kujo Michiie. The temple was burned down but rebuilt in the 15th century according to original plans. Tofuku-ji was one of the five temples of the five-mountain system.

Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826-1869)

The Tsuten Bridge at Tofuku-ji Temple, Kyoto (Kyoto Tofuku-j iTsutenkyo)

Unknown artist

92mm x 60mm

Anonymous

Meiji / Taisho period, 19/20th century

1868-1926

Kanzashi Hair Set

A fine Shibayama and lacquer kanzashi hair set. Bearing a kinji ground with recessed carving and details in aogai. Decorated in chrysanthemums and birds. 

Hairpin 145mm x 19mm

Unsigned

Anonymous

Meiji/Taisho period 19th/20th century

1868-1926

kimono Tray

Decorated in gold hiramaki-e, gold, silver and iro-e togidashi maki-e with two ho-o birds flying together on a black lacquer ground. Although the two ho-o birds (phoenix) look alike you can see there are some differences. The above bird has both head plumage and peacock like feathers to its tail feathers. The bird below does not. Often the phoenix is seen as a feminine creature paired with the male dragon in Asian art, but in this case, it would seem to be a pairing of a male and female phoenix.

Underneath the tray is decorated with a single gold maru ni-kaga-umebachi crest in gold hiramaki-e. this would suggest that the piece was made for someone in the clan.

Unsigned

5.5cm x 54.6cm x 39.2cm

 

Anonymous

Edo / Meiji period 19/20th century

1800-1912

Suzuribako

A Suzuribako (writing box) of rectangular form with a kabusebuta (overhanging lid), the interior fitted with a frame holding suzuri (inkstone) and suiteki (water dropper). The lid is decorated in rooster and hen in takamakie and hiramakie with mura-nashiji ground, the interior lid decorated in plants and flowers in togidashi.

Unsigned

Size 170mm x 130mm

Anonymous

Edo/ Meiji period, 19/20th century

1615-1912

Kanzashi Hair Set

A fine wood-based kanzashi hair set in gold takamakie and hiramakie geometrical designs on a roiro ground. The design is known as Asanoha a pattern representing hemp leaves. Hemp has strong vitality and grows vigorously without the need for a lot of care, so this pattern was often used on babies’ and children’s kimonos with the hope that they would grow up big and strong.

Unsigned

Hairpin 130mm x 12mm

Hair comb 78mm x 34mm

 

Anonymous

Edo/Meiji Period, 18/19th century

1615-1912

Tebako

A rectangular body tebako box depicting red, green, gold, and brown stripes with butterflies in hiramakie, takamakie on a roiro ground with a nashiji interior. Bronze rings with the kuyo kamon mon and silk ties.   

This box originally came from the collection of Edward C Moore who was a well-established silversmith in New York City during the 19th century, Moore became highly successful joining Tiffany & co. as an outside craftsman in 1868 under which he would work exclusively for Tiffany's working as the firm's chief silver designer until he died in 1891.

In 1867 he won a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle for his exhibit of silverware, later on, he won a medal at the Centennial Exposition in 1876, and a special gold medal in 1878 in Paris. In 1889 he was awarded the Legion of Honor.

Edward C Moore (1827-1891)

Over his lifetime, Moore amassed a large collection of art, with a focus on art from Japan, the Islamic world, and ancient Greece and Rome. His collection contains somewhere between 1,600 and 1,700 pieces. In 1891 he bequeathed many objects from his collection to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Unsigned

131mm x 136mm x 197mm

 

Anonymous

Meiji period, 19/20th century

1868-1912

Lacquered Vase

This is a very rare and large Meiji period export lacquer vase. In the late 19th century Japan found that one of the best ways to increase the economic growth of the country was through the craft skills of the Japanese craftsmen. For a very short period, the Japanese tried to lacquer porcelain vases and other items to present them at the early world fairs such as the Vienna World Exposition of 1873. Soon after items like this vase being purchased by the public, people found that cleaning and daily use wore off the lacquer and made it lose its appeal. The Japanese soon stopped lacquering such items this way and so these items are very rarely found. At the time resources to supply the demand for exports to the west were low, it was common to use previously made items such as this vase having been lacquered on to a blue and white porcelain body. It has beautifully worked mother of pearl fish inlaid into the lacquer in hiramakie, takamakie and aogai techniques.

Unsigned

578mm x 280mm

Anonymous

Meiji / Taisho period 19/20th century

1868-1926

Tray

Lacquer tray decorated in takamakie, hiramakie, Nashiji and aogai shell on a roiro ground with a silver protective rim. In the centre of the tray is a Dragonboat laden with treasure. In the centre of the sail is the character Bao meaning Treasure. Two cranes accompany the boat outside of a round edge to represent the sun.

The boat is filled with the lucky gods items known as the myriad of treasures. The treasures are the raincoat of invisibility, wish-granting gem, purse of inexhaustible riches, crossed scroll, a keystone of the gods, magic mallet and hat of invisibility, and other items such as drums and musical instruments.

Size 287mm x 287mm x 50mm

Unsigned

Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825) Bando Mitsugoro as a Samurai Subduing a Tiger, 1810’s. Oban.

Anonymous

Late Edo/ Meiji period, 18/19th century

1615-1912

Kogo

A stunning Kogo box of a samurai subduing a tiger in a bamboo forest. Beautiful gold, black and red togidashi lacquer with bright nashiji and aogai details on brown ground.

The image seems to be depicting the print by Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825) of Bando Mitsugoro as a Samurai Subduing a Tiger, 1810’s. Over many generations the well-known kabuki actor, Bando Mitsugoro has passed on his name to the 21st century. The warrior he is representing is Watonai.

The story of Watonai the tiger warrior is well known. Watonai was both Chinese and Japanese of mixed heritage, he wanted to reinstate china’s ming dynasty while the invading Manchu’s caused china mayhem.

He and his family travelled from Japan to china intending to do what they could to help. Watonai farther travelled ahead to avoid attracting attention, while Watonai carried his mother travelling through a bamboo forest. Midway through the bamboo forest, a tiger appeared trying to escape being hunted by a group of local Tartars. In a fearful state, the tiger attacked Watonai and his mother. Watonai quickly put his mother down ready to fight. At first, Watonai was struggling to subdue the beast, his mother quickly gave her son a powerful charm from the Shrine in Ise. At once the tiger became calm lowering his head in submission. The Tartars seeing this decided to attack the beast, but Watonai had a change of heart deciding to protect the tiger. Both Watonai and the tiger fought with the Tartars until the battle ended. The surviving members decided to side with Watonai and pledge allegiance taking Japanese names and helping in his mission.

Unsigned

Size 97mm x 78mm x 18mm