NEW YORK – More than 100 lots of enticing Japanese antiques will be sold in a Jasper52 online-only auction on Saturday, April 15. Absentee and Internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
With its tradition of elegant simplicity, Asian decorative art draws an international audience of collectors, and this special Japanese antiques auction is no exception.
Among this focused yet diverse sale are sword tsubas, traditional dolls, tea sets, sculpture and more, creating a comprehensive representation of the Japanese culture.
A Japanese Hiramaki-e box, beautifully lacquered with gold scrolling vines, delicate leaves and a repeating circular mon (family crest) against a black lacquer ground, is one of the featured lots in the sale. Probably commissioned by a wealthy Japanese family during the Meiji period (1868–1912), this dramatic large box is in excellent condition with no scratches or losses. It is expected to sell for $1,500-$2,000.
A nearly finished preparatory drawing by Utagawa Kuniyoshi for his “Views of Provinces of Greater Japan” series, circa 1845, is from a well-documented group of albums from the artist’s studio. The ink on paper drawing is estimated at $1,000-$1,500.
Three Monkeys – See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil – is the theme of a meticulously carved tonkotsu, a Japanese tobacco box, which was worn suspended from a man’s belt or sash. The example in the Jasper52 sale is one of the finest mingei (Japanese folk art) pieces to be offered at auction in some time. It dates to the mid-19th century and is estimated at $4,500-$6,000.
Mingei is a word meaning “arts of the people.” It was coined by Soetsu Yanagi by combining the Japanese words for all people (min) and art (gei). His keen eye observed that many useful, pre-industrial articles made by unknown craftsmen displayed a beauty seldom equaled by artists of modern societies. This art shares a direct simplicity and reflects a joy in making, by hand, useful objects that are satisfying to the human spirit.
A large Japanese carved wood Daikoku figure, also from the Meiji Period, is another fine example of mingei. One of the seven Japanese gods of good fortune, Daikoku is the deity of prosperity. Here he is seen in his traditional pose, standing on two bales of rice with his wish-granting mallet in his right hand, and a bag of riches slung over his left shoulder. Daikoku is also venerated as the deity of the kitchen, where such carvings were traditionally displayed for good luck. This Daikoku figure is estimated at $750-$1,000.
Also from the 19th century is a bronze ox ridden by a boy. The body of the ox doubles as a container. The 6 1/2-inch-tall figure carries an $800-$1,200 estimate.
A 19th century Asakusa school kiseruzutsu, a Japanese tobacco pipe holder or case, is stag horn carved in the shape of a stem of Immortality Fungus with five heads. This exotic and elegantly carved piece is 7 1/2 inches long and estimated at $2,000-$2,500.
The auction will begin Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
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