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Asian arts

Turner Auctions + Appraisals to sell couple’s Asian arts collection Oct. 8

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Asian arts
Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), Japanese woodblock print, very good impression. Estimate: $400-$600. Turner Auctions + Appraisals image

 

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Turner Auctions + Appraisals will present over 240 lots of fine Japanese woodblock prints and Asian decorative arts on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time / 1:30 p.m. Eastern. The online auction features works from the 1800s and 1900s. Most of the woodblock artworks come from the Japanese print collection of Jeff and Marilyn Smith of Napa Valley. Absentee and Internet bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

The online auction features a diverse range of Asian arts. Japanese prints in the sale from the Smith Collection include about 100 works by Hasui, Kuniyoshi, Yoshida, Hiroshige, Bartlett, Lum, Hyde, Masamitsu (below), Yoshitoshi, Eizan, Eisen and Shoson. Japanese paintings include watercolors and shunga, plus calligraphy and scrolls.

 

Asian arts
Ota Masamitsu (1892-1975), Japanese woodblock print, signed Masamitsu ‘Gendai Butai Geika,’ ‘Leading Figures on the Stage in the Showa Era,’ 1955, 16 ¾in x 11in. Estimate $500-$700. Turner Auctions image

 

Japanese decorative arts include Satsuma (below); Kutani ware; Imari bowls, dishes and figures; gold lacquer inro and boxes and other lacquer items; Japanese ceramic flatware; Meiji bronze vases and sculpture; bronze Buddhas; tsuba; sword fittings; wood netsuke; cloisonné items; scrolls; calligraphy; and Seikichiro Goto paper. Chinese scrolls and calligraphy, and other Asian items round out the sale.

 

Asian arts
Satsuma vase, signed Toen kore [o] tsukuru, 4 ¼in h x 7 ½in diameter. Estimate: $3,000-$4,000. Turner Auctions image

Both Jeff and Marilyn Smith have been avid art enthusiasts and collectors for over 45 years – first individually, then as a couple. In addition to Japanese prints, their interests have been diverse, including Works Progress Administration (WPA) art, European and American etchings, California and American paintings, automobilia, small sculptures and three-dimensional items.

 

Asian arts
Meiji bronze vase, cast in high relief with a herd of trumpeting elephants, 12 in high x 19in diameter. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Turner Auctions image

 

Now, after consolidating two homes into one, they have decided to downsize. “It takes a lot of work to store and care for collections,” said Mr. Smith. “After over 45 enjoyable years of collecting, it’s now time to sell and treat ourselves, perhaps with a cruise.”

 

Asian arts
Gold lacquer four-case inro, 3 ½in long. Estimate: $800-1,200. Turner Auctions image

 

For details contact Steve Turner, president of Turner Auctions + Appraisals, at sturner@turnerauctionsonline.com or 415-964-5250.

 

 

 

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Asian arts