Oriental Works of Art

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Trade with Japan in the seventeenth century was predominantly directed by the Dutch merchants who had a trading station at Nagasaki. It was their requirements which dictated what the potteries at Arita should make and by the 1660s they were demanding ‘red wares’, the Japanese term for pieces in the colourings of underglaze blue, red and gold, sometimes with additional colours as well. Once made, these porcelains were sent to the port of Imari from where they began their journey to the West and from which they were to take their name. They proved to be immediately popular on their arrival in Holland and the auctions of the cargoes as they arrived were extremely successful. This led to a plentiful supply of chargers, bowls and vases (many with covers and some forming part of a five piece garniture) which were to decorate the royal and aristocratic homes not only of Holland itself but throughout Europe and particularly in Great Britain, where they can be seen today.

While the forms were relatively plain, the decoration was lavish, employing panels with floral or animal elements on a densely covered ground, often with swirling designs. Two typical examples are illustrated in images (9) and (10), both dating from the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. The popularity of the style naturally led to it being copied and the Chinese started to produce it from the late Kangxi period (1662-1722) onwards, occasionally following the originals closely but soon producing their own adaptations which were often slightly more restrained and refined. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, Imari exports from Japan and China had lapsed but their place was soon taken by pieces from the European and British manufacturers. In England both Spode and Mason’s Ironstone, amongst others, produced their own version of ‘Imari’, even attempting vases in the colourings as well as flatware. Eventually Japan re-entered the market and from 1860s onwards the West was again supplied in quantity with their Imari wares, although by the end of the century some of these were of rather poor quality.

But at their best, the Japanese workshops in the nineteenth century could well match the work of their predecessors and this charger is a prime example. The form is almost that of a very shallow bowl with the sides evenly curving upwards (see image 4) and an unglazed footrim to the reverse. The nineteenth century decorators often created their own designs, but the decoration here follows the originals very closely indeed, even in the colouring of the underglaze blue which has an almost blackish tinge which is also seen in the two earlier examples illustrated. There are three large fan shape panels with flowering peony and three smaller ones with lotus leaf borders and ‘ho ho’ birds, all on a blue ground with stylised gilt floral decoration. One can almost see a wheel here and the design nearly seems to be in motion which was, again, a feature of earlier pieces. The reverse has just three sprays of peony which allows one to see the quality of the glaze.This, combined with the paste of the foot and the general quality of the decoration all point to a mid nineteenth century dating, probably circa 1870 after trade with Japan resumed as a result of the Meiji restoration.

Japanese Imari wares deservedly retain their popularity today and this charger would be an elegant addition to a contemporary interior or even indeed to a stately home itself.

In Japanese folklore, the Takarabune or "Treasure Ship", is a mythical ship piloted through the heavens by the Seven Lucky Gods during the first three days of the New Year. Ceramic boat shape dishes were produced during the Meiji period (1868-1912) in both Arita and Imari porcelains. Paste of the foot rim and style of decoration suggest a circa date here towards the end of the nineteenth century.

Kutani (the word means 'nine valleys') porcelain was made at various factories in the former Kaga province of Japan. The earliest pieces were in a completely different style employing a palette of colours emphasising green, the so called 'Ko Kutani'. Production of this ceased around 1730, and manufacturing was not revived until the early nineteenth century when the more familiar colourings of iron red and gold were introduced. Vases, bowls and plaques are found in this style but also teapots of which this is a typical example. The decoration is of birds and flowers on a faintly craquelure glaze ground and the lid has a complementary ‘brocade pattern’ design. The base has a two character mark reading ‘ku’ ‘tani’ as is often found. The basket is of tightly woven wicker with the metal fitments as described and is probably Chinese in common with many similar examples, although the Japanese did, of course, have a basket weaving tradition of their own. Slight damage means that the ensemble has to be of decorative value rather than practical use but it remains an interesting and entertaining souvenir item from the orient.

Each of the ten characters are described in a double page spread, the right hand containing texts in both Chinese and English and the left hand with hand coloured illustrations on silk , delicately rendered. All ten ‘couples’ represent the Confucian of harmony between husband and wife. The book 'works' from right to left and the reverses of the pages are left blank. At each end are fabric covered boards, the front board with a pasted paper inscription in Chinese with a small red seal mark. Other examples are finished with boards in wood, but these are, perhaps, not original or a more deluxe version of the volume. In addition there are other books in a near identical format and presumably issued by the same publisher including ‘Stories of Ancient Chinese Noted Beauties’ and ‘Eight Fairies Festival’.

The illustrations are in excellent condition with the colours still bright. The yellow finish to the paper is original and perhaps intended to give an 'antique' effect. Each of the end boards are very slightly scuffed at the borders. Some of the pages, including the title page and the two end papers, suffer from varying degrees of 'worm hole' perforation. There are also various small tears. A full set of illustrations can be seen above and further images (and a more detailed condition report) are, of course, available on request. But these condition issues should not necessarily detract from the charm of the item which is an attempt to present some of the folk lore of China for Westerners keen to know more about the culture of a country which had attracted such popular interest during the Victorian period.

Although of relatively recent manufacture, the quality of these pieces continues the Chinese ceramic productions of the late nineteenth century and together they form an attractive decorative ensemble for the contemporary interior.

The Japanese produced copies of natural forms in a variety of media. Carved ivory fruit and small animals are well known. Here, cloisonne enamel is used which is less common. The quality of the work speaks for itself and can be judged form the small butterflies on the cover and the green speckle enamel fill at the base. It is typical of the best Meiji period (1868-1912) work and a circa date towards the end of the nineteenth century is most likely.

The form here is more commonly associated with pieces made in China and is that of a small low table designed to be used in combination with a ‘kang’, a raised brick platform heated from below that served as a family's main living, sleeping, and dining area during colder months. But similar pieces were also made by the Japanese, sometimes in black lacquer with mother of pearl inlay, and the style of the carving here suggests Japanese rather than Chinese workmanship. All the decorative elements seen here (phoenix, pine, waves) can be found elsewhere in Japanese art but there does not seem to be any specific symbolic meaning intended, just an imaginative composition by an accomplished craftsman. Dating is probably to the first half of the twentieth century and the carved marking are almost certainly later, with the original format ‘dymo’ label dating most likely to the 1960s.

The Fukagawa kilns produced the best quality Imari items made in Japan in the late nineteenth century for export to the West. Their history starts with Ezaiemon Fukagawa who in 1856 became head of his family's porcelain business and in 1875 founded Koransha (The Company of the Scented Orchid) in Arita, Japan, to produce tableware for export. In 1894 the modern Fukagawa company was founded by Chuji Fukagawa, with the Fukagawa trade mark of Mount Fuji and a stream, as its trade mark. Dating here is within the Meiji period (1868 - 1912) probably around 1880. This conforms with the script mark used as opposed to the later symbol design.

The European love of tea began in the mid seventeenth century after it had been introduced to the West by the Dutch East India Company. It was at first an expensive luxury item to be enjoyed by the select few including the diarist Samuel Pepys who wrote in 1660 that he was at a meeting attended by, amongst others, Sir Richard Ford, who ‘…talked like a man of great reason and experience. And afterwards did send for a Cupp of Tee (a China drink) of which I never had drank before) and went away.’ Pepys seems not to have been very fond of ‘tee’ which was fortunate because it could cost up to a hundred times more than the sherry for which he had a much greater liking. The consumption of tea demanded the receptacles to brew it in and drink it from and the Chinese happily obliged. At first they sent over bowls and saucers (the tea cup was only to follow around a hundred years later), tea pots and tea ‘caddies’, which, bearing in mind the extremely high cost of the tea, were designedly small. The word is thought to be derived from ‘catty’, the Chinese pound, equal to about a pound and a third in the English standard of weight. The earliest tea caddies were rectangular with four small feet, soon to be followed by a flattened octagonal form with a plain bottom, in both cases being fitted with a round ‘cap’ cover.

During the eighteenth century the repertoire of the tea service expanded considerably to include a teapot, teapot stand, spoon tray, sugar basin and cover, cream or milk jug and cover, a saucer dish for serving small biscuits, tea bowls and saucers and, of course, the small tea caddy and cover itself, all decorated in the same colourings and design. At the same time, the form of the tea caddy was considerably altered and the examples now produced had a flattened rectangular body with an arched top, slightly overhanging. The circular neck was completed by a circular cover with a broad rim and a knob finial above an unglazed central ‘stopper’ which fitted inside the top of the piece. Earlier examples were extremely well defined while the later ones were slimmer and of a less precisely formed shape.This piece, therefore, probably dates to the middle years of the Qianlong period (1736-1795).

Accordingly, we have here an example of the Chinese potter’s work at its best. As the seams at the side indicate, the body of these caddies was mould made in two parts and then joined together with the neck added. An additional attraction here is the fluting to the body which is much less common. The decoration is in underglaze blue, the colour being applied to the body before glazing and firing, and the design is a typical stylised landscape scene, a rocky outcrop in the foreground with trees and pavilions and behind a lake with flying birds and another mountainous range in the background again with buildings. As often, small figures can be seen occupying the nearer pavilions. The shoulder is decorated with a classic stylised geometric pattern border with diaper work and key pattern, the neck has two small floral sprays and the lid has a stylised floral border with cell work. To add opulence to the effect, the caddy (and indeed doubtless all of its companion pieces) was given the enhancement of gilt decoration on its arrival, most likely in one of the London workshops.

Truly, then, this was a luxury item at the time and it has survived in a remarkable state of preservation to the present day, intact and with its original cover, which is quite uncommon. Doubtless now to be admired rather than used, this tea caddy is a true collector’s gem and an outstanding example of the best of Chinese Export ware.

Please note that the stands are for display purposes only.

Hydrangeas flourish in Japan and also carry a hidden meaning of apology and gratitude based on a mythical story of an Emperor, who angered a woman he loved by neglecting her, and gave her in recompense a bunch of blue hydrangeas as a symbol of his deep emotion and gratitude. Used here as a decorative motif, the painting of the flowers is skilful and elegantly combined with the plainer exterior. The paste of the foot rim suggests an early C20th dating, perhaps to the late Taisho era (1912-1926).

The stamped mark to the base reads ‘Zhongguo Jingdezhen Zhi (China Jingdezhen Made)’ with the letter ‘V’ between two lines. In the early 1950s almost all the factories in Jiangxi, the province where the kiln town Jingdezhen is situated, were merged into larger units, each made up of ten to fifteen previously independent factories. From this time factory numbers such as we have here (=V=) came to be used and many pieces are found with a wide variety of letters and numbers indicating the various cooperatives. The quality of the productions varied and it is a reasonable assumption that increasing years witnessed a decline. While other examples of this type of jar exist, some with their original domed covers, this piece is of the very best quality, indeed the work matches earlier pieces in the style very closely, and a dating to the mid 1950s seems quite plausible. It shows that the Chinese potters continued to produce to a high standard when they chose to do so and provides a pleasing memento of the closing era of a tradition of porcelain production stretching back long into the past.

This is a typical example of the ‘Mandarin’ pattern produced by the Chinese in the late eighteenth century for export to the West where it enjoyed great popularity. The name derives from the male court figures, mandarins, who form such an important component of the designs. The scenes are carefully composed with much charm and rendered in a wide variety of coloured enamels with much emphasis on deep pink (‘Famille Rose’) and iron red. A wide variety of wares were produced in the pattern including vases, bowls, dinner services and tea sets, as here, where there would have been a set of bowls and saucers along with matching serving items. The charm and quality of this piece speaks for itself and presents an excellent and collectible example of this opulent pattern from the eighteenth century.

The striking glaze effects seen here are usually attributed to the kilns at Shiwan, a district of the provincial town Foshan which is located near to Guangzhou, better known in the West as Canton, in the Guangdong province. But the place of manufacture is here clearly advertised by the mark on the base which attributes it to the well known potteries of Jingdezhen, for centuries one of China’s most prolific producers of porcelains for both the domestic and export markets. This particular glaze, though, seems to be a late twentieth century creation with no obvious precedents from the past. Just possibly it derived from an accident of the firing process which was then deliberately imitated. Certainly, the ‘look’ is modern and the interior of the neck reveals one of the hallmarks of the very late pieces made at Jingdezhen where the small but regular potting rings indicate manufacture by machine rather than the hand of a potter (see image 8). The sandy and slightly coarse paste of the foot is fully consistent with this.

By repute, similar vases were bought new in the 1980s so there is, at least, a degree of age here and the overall effects combine sophisticated techniques with inventive decoration to produce a piece of considerable and striking appeal.

(As sometimes happened with the manufacture of larger ceramic items, this vase emerged from the kiln with a slight ‘lean’ when viewed from certain angles, probably due to irregular shrinkage of the clay body during the firing process. Images (11) and (12) are intended to highlight the ‘fault’ but the final image (13) shows how this can easily be corrected with the addition of a wood stand built up inside to provide corrective support.)

Kutani (the word means 'nine valleys') porcelain was made at various factories in the former Kaga province of Japan. The earliest pieces were in a completely different style employing a palette of colours emphasising green, the so called 'Ko Kutani'. Production of this ceased around 1730, and manufacturing was not revived until the early nineteenth century when the more familiar colourings of iron red and gold were introduced. Many pieces were exported to the West in a variety of forms including vases and wall plates. This shell dish is more unusual; the shape is more normally found in Chinese ceramics. Perhaps one of an original pair, this dish, like its Chinese counterparts, was probably intended as a serving dish and could even be used as such today although it can well stand as a decorative item.

The betel box seems to be mainly confined to Burmah, now Myanmar, and was normally made using the lacquer techniques for which the country was so well known. A woven bamboo, or sometimes cane or wood, base (which can be seen here where the lacquer has flaked away : see image 12) was covered in multiple layers of lacquer paste, each allowed to dry and then polished, and finally the piece was decorated. The format here is typical : an upper section with a tray on top covered by a lid which fits on to a lower section also with a tray on the top. The trays are coloured red on the inside and black on the outside, the lid and the boxes orange on the inside. The exterior decoration of the two section body and the base of the lid employs a wide mixture of narrow bands, some indented and some raised, with a broader band of repeated stylised floral decoration at the top and another with modelled vertical line decoration below. The base is slightly flared and the lid slightly very slightly domed. The top of the lid has a densely packed design comprising temples and dancing figures and the base a design of circles and waves. As with many of these boxes great care was taken in the ornamentation and this example was, perhaps, made for one of the wealthier households.

Dating of these boxes is put in the early years of the twentieth century and they survive as a memento of a tradition which is still practised, but with less elaborate accessories, in the present day.

Kutani (the word means 'nine valleys') porcelain was made at various factories in the former Kaga province of Japan. The earliest pieces were in a completely different style employing a palette of colours emphasising green, the so called 'Ko Kutani'. Production of this ceased around 1730, and manufacturing was not revived until the early nineteenth century when the more familiar colourings of iron red and gold were introduced. This small vase is typical of pieces exported to the West in fairly large quantities at the end of the nineteenth century. The form suggests a water dropper and is found in Imari colourings as well. Many of the Kutani pieces were marked, sometimes simply 'Ku' 'Tani' as here. The glaze was sometimes unstable with a tendency to craze as can be seen here, but this is original to the manufacture and does not detract from the piece's decorative appeal.

The rather more elaborate style of decoration here and the addition of enamel colours to the standard imari palette of underglaze blue, iron red and gold resembles 'kenjo imari' pieces produced in Japan in the eighteenth century and in the early nineteenth century, a specific type of Imari that was highly decorated and meant for domestic consumption, Kenjo, meaning 'for presentation'. The paste of the foot, harder and smoother than that used in the later nineteenth century, suggests a dating here to around 1820 before trade with the West was temporarily paused. The form suggests a cup for Sake and this piece was probably one of an original set of five, but it stands on its own as a decorative item in miniature.

The style of the dress suggests Burmese work and very similar fabric decoration can be seen in the cloth wall hangings also included in this sale. Burma has a tradition of marionette puppetry (marionettes are a specific form of puppet where the figure is controlled by strings or rods) which dates back to the late eighteenth century and is still popular today with visitors to the country, now called Myanmar. Termed ‘Yoke thé’, the Burmese marionette tradition allowed political commentary under the guise of of an entertainment display. The standard ‘troupe’ comprised twenty seven characters, both animal and human, and this lady figure is probably the ‘princess’ (‘Minthami’). She is a fine example of the genre and probably dates to the 1990s when General Khin Nyunt of the ruling junta lent official support to marionette actors and troupes in an attempt to revive a tradition which had fallen somewhat into decline.

This is a fine example of the porcelains made at Jingdezhen, for centuries the chief centre of ceramic production in China, in the early years of the People’s Republic of China (1949-). Soon after the communists took control, the kilns at Jingdezhen were organised into co-operatives, each with a number. Many of their pieces were marked and the form of the mark determines the date of production. The circular marks, as here, were the earliest allowing a dating of this charger to the 1950s or possibly the early 1960s. Some of these conglomerates, for the quality can vary, retained the skills of their predecessors and produced works of high quality. This is clearly seen here in the careful and precise enamelling and the general artistry of the design employing ‘imperial’ yellow with the symbolism of happiness (bats), longevity (shou symbols), friendship and a life of ease (chrysanthemum) and fruitfulness and offspring (lotus), all combining to produce a piece well worthy of its many predecessors.

Please note that the wood stand is for display purposes only and is not incuded with this lot.

'Crackleware' glazed pieces, usually with 'bronzed’ bands, were a staple output of the Chinese potteries from the mid nineteenth century onwards and were produced in a wide variety of mainly vase shape forms, both in polychrome and blue and white and intended as decorative pieces for the Victorian rooms of the West. As with other ceramic types, the quality deteriorated and this piece is typical of the late productions with a more modest level of craftsmanship but still retaining a naif charm. As with many ginger jars, this one lacks its original domed cover which would have been decorated to match.

The style of the dress suggests Burma which has a tradition of marionette puppetry (marionettes are a specific form of puppet where the figure is controlled by strings or rods) dating back to the late eighteenth century and still popular today with visitors to the country, now called Myanmar. Termed ‘Yoke thé’, the Burmese marionette tradition allowed political commentary under the guise of of an entertainment display. The standard ‘troupe’ comprised twenty seven characters, both animal and human, and this male figure is probably the ‘King’ (‘Mintayar gyi’). Dating is probably to the mid C20th and a little earlier than the female marionette figure also included in this sale. This figure is rather more majestic as befits his regal status.

A fine quality Japanese porcelain vase, the ovoid body with a curved flaring foot and rising to a tall concave neck with a well defined shoulder, applied elephant and ring handles to the sides and a galleried rim, decorated in bright underglaze blue with two bands of stylised flowering chrysanthemum at the top and bottom between a continuous scene of flowering peony and chrysanthemum, the top rim with repeating whorl design on the exterior and stylised leaf design inside, the stepped base glazed white.

The kilns at Seto in the Aichi prefecture of Japan and situated close to Nagoya form one of the traditional ‘Nihon Rokkoyo’, the six old kilns of medieval Japan. The location of Seto was ideal for the production of ceramics with an abundance nearby of both porcelain clay and forests to provide firewood for the kilns. Production began as early as the Heian period (794-1185) and continued without a break thereafter, the earlier pieces being more pottery forms copying Chinese wares. It was in the early nineteenth century that the kilns turned to producing porcelains decorated in underglaze blue and white, a development initiated by the potter Tamikichi Kato who went to Arita to learn the techniques of its production there, returning to Seto in 1807. Production grew and developed and was directed towards the export market in the Meiji period (1868-1912) with Seto wares being displayed at the European and North American exhibitions and fairs. Their delicately painted designs of birds and flowers proved to be immensely popular and were, in their time, to influence Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs. Some of the forms produced were truly virtuoso creations including, besides vases, screens, jardinieres and even ceramic tables.

Signed pieces are known and besides Tamikichi Kato the distinguished potters included the Kichiemon brothers, Kato Chuji and Kawamoto Jihyoe, and Kawamoto Hansuke. But not all the best pieces carried an artist’s signature as this vase well demonstrates. Formed from fine quality clay, as can be seen from the foot rim (image 10), the complex shape with its spreading base, angled shoulder and galleried rim would have been difficult to create. The handles show remarkable skill with the rings somehow formed so as to hang loose (presumably some form of kiln waster technique was used). The detail and artistry of the painting speaks for itself. Note in particular the shading effects on the peony flowers. While not perhaps an exhibition piece, this vase is definitely of exhibition quality and would be a worthy addition to a collection of nineteenth century Japanese ceramic art.