Very little distorted cylinder shaped (hanzutsu) tea bowl with a rounded brim, made of little reddish, coarse, unrefined Mino clay. The expertly thrown body was trimmed with a potter's knife in its lower part and through the finger marks (rokuro-me) covered with an ash glaze inside and outside. The little iron oxide in the clay turned the glaze to light brown.

On two opposite sides, decoration has been applied under the glaze in iron oxide with a little white engobe. On the front y...

An Ao-Kutani palette porcelain deep dish in the Yoshidaya manner. Hydrangeas decoration in polychrome enamels including white, light blue-green, and dark green, blue, blue-green and aubergine in black line, all on yellow ground, a chocolate brown enamel on the otherwise unglazed biscuit rim. The number and subtlety of hues but consistent for palette is pleasing. The back with enamels including dark green on black line decoration of clouds. Kutani mark in black under yellow glaze inside the foot ...

Aoki Seiko (b. 1880)
Red Berries and Birds (aka. Waxwings)
Size: Approximately 9.75 x 4.75 inches (24.9 x 12 cm).
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. Cat. #368 tags on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Upper left corner margin chip. Pinhole near signature.
- Rarely seen.
The Matsumoto catalog identifies the birds as kashidori, "a noisy, quarrelsome species of jay."

Aoki Seiko (b. 1880)
Quails Under the Moonlight
Size: 9.75 x 4.75 inches. 24.6 x 12 cm.
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. Cat. #366 tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Slight bend at lower left corner.

Aoki Seiko (b. 1880)
Mt. Fuji and Sailboat (Fuji Yama)
Size: Kotanzaku. Approximately 24.8 x 12.0 cm. 9.75 x 4.75 inches.
Date: ca. 1910.
Artist's signature and seal at lower right.
Publisher: Matsumoto (No. 367). Original publisher's tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: A few marks in sky. Small bends at top and bottom edges.

Aoki Seiko (b. 1880)
Flying Cuckoo
Size: Approximately 9.75 x 4.625 inches. 24.8 x 11.8 cm.
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. Cat. #360 tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Slight creasing where publisher's original tag is attached to back. Small dash mark indentation under bird.
- Rarely seen.

(After) Aoki Seiko
Waxwings (Red Berries and Birds)
Date: Friday, July 5th, 1929.
Accordion format. Opened out size: 10.375 x 7.625 inches (23.4 x 19.2 cm).
Note: Cover of a menu for the Kashima Maru on the N.Y.K. Line
Medium: Japanese shin-hanga woodblock print. The traditional means of woodblock print creation was employed for all steps through inking of the carved blocks. Then, the block was used in a mechanical printing process.
Condition: Toning, marks, and ...

An Yixing Figure of Budai. The jovial figure modelled seated at ease wearing loose robes, the right hand grasping a sack, the face with a wide cheerful expression. Chinese 17/18thC. Diameter 7 1/2" (19.0 cm) Condition; ends of fingers on left hand, tip of right big toe, chips to collar 1.0cm and 0.5cm, edge of robe 1.2 cm restored

Here’s a really large Neolithic greenstone Axe from the early Funnel Beaker Culture, dating to around 4000-3500 BC.

A massive axe in hand, weighing 3,1 kg. on the kitchenweight.

The axe is made out of greenstone that was polished into the four-sidet shape. 10-12 cm from the edge, the axe ‘hollows’, indicating the place where the axe was fastened to the shaft.

A large and impressive axe measuring: 29,5 x 10 x 5 cm / 11,6 3,9 x 2 inches. The size indicates that t...

An XXL Ming Dynasty pottery figure of a male attendant!

A superb quality and very large pottery figure, dating to the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 AD.

He is placed on a rectangular podium and wears a fine robe in matching blue and turquoise glazes.

The unglazed areas have pigmented colors in red, black and white. Finely painted facial details.

The head is attachable as often seen on the largest figures from this period.

He holds a book in fr...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an unusually fine Qianlong Period (1736-1795) tureen base or shallow basin, depicting a river scene with a large fenced pagoda, a stone bridge, and several people on boats and pontoons, together with a meticulously intricate border of ruyi heads, cash diaper motifs, key frets, butterflies, and other marvelous details.

This piece is top quality in terms of "Nanking Ware" (not to be confused with Nanking Cargo Shipwreck pieces); it really gets no ...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an unusually fine and early Qianlong Period (1736-1795) Nanking meat platter, depicting a willow tree and scholar's table objects amidst a flowered outcropping as the central design, surrounded by an elaborate border of butterflies, buddhist symbols, scrolls, and floral motifs.

Like our similarly shaped Qianlong Period Tureen Base Item # 959327 (Sold), this piece is top quality in terms of "Nanking Ware" (not to be confused with Nanking Cargo Sh...

Japanese tachi-kake or samurai's sword stand, black lacquered and rich intricate shell inlay work, with a reishi mushroom shaped finial.

Late Edo period (1603-1868)

Dimensions: 10 1/4" x 8 1/4" x 25" H

A Japanese porcelain plate decorated with a dignitary beneath a parasol, attended by his servant, in a garden. The cavetto is unusually decorated with a continuous landscape, a device not often encountered on Arita porcelain. The use of linear shading is reminiscent of Chinese “Master of the Rocks” style. The back is entirely plain with four spur marks within the foot-rim. Arita, circa 1680~1700.

Approximately 21 cm diameter. Perfect condition with only a tiny piece of kiln dus...

A JAPANESE EXPORT DISH, LATE 17TH CENTURY.

This fine dish is decorated with designs taken from Ming Chinese Wanli 'Kraak' wares and came about as a result of a disruption of Chinese production during a period of unrest. Dutch traders who found their Chinese trade stopped resorted to ordering from Japanese makers. The Japanese versions of these Kraak style pieces are usually thicker than the very thin Chinese Kraak wares and this has ensured their survival in often pristine condition. Thi...

An unusual Arita wall-vase, kakehana, circa 1750. The seed-shaped hollow body is moulded with trailing vines supporting a dragonfly. The painter has used two different greens, aubergine, yellow and black. The unglazed back is pierced for suspension. It is probable that this kakehana was made for the home market.

In 52 years of business I have found only two of these unusual vases, this one I kept for my collection.

Approximately 16.7cm long. Perfect condition with only a little w...

The dish is shaped in the form of a folded paper letter. Unusually it is decorated with a stenciled design of what appears to be a formal pattern of lightning behind an arrangement of stylised flowers. The back is simply decorated with pine needles.

Two dishes of very similar shape are illustrated in the Catalogue of the Shibata Collection, items 2604 and 2635, dated to 1690 ~ 1730.

Approximately 13.8cm wide. In fine condition. In the photograph of the back the foot-rim looks a...

The dish is shaped in the form of a folded paper letter. Unusually it is decorated with a stenciled design of what appears to be a formal pattern of lightning behind an arrangement of stylised flowers. The back is simply decorated with pine needles.

Two dishes of very similar shape are illustrated in the Catalogue of the Shibata Collection, items 2604 and 2635, dated to 1690 ~ 1730.

Approximately 14cm wide. In fine condition. This dish has a fine scratch in the porcelain, benea...