A JAPANESE ARITA PORCELAIN SQUARE DISH, EDO PERIOD.

An attractive Japanese Arita porcelain square dish with canted corners, decorated with an oversized sage lost in reverie by a lake. The unusual borders completely painted with figures in a landscape. Late 18th ~ early 19th century.

By repute once part of the Bigelow Collection and disposed by auction in New England a few years ago.

Approximately 15.5cm square. The dish is in perfect condition.

Please study the p...

Description:

A lovely water pot was finely mold.
Being beautifully decorated on the surface with colorful splashes, the water pot was authenticated as an archaic piece from Changsha kiln of Tang dynasty.
By a very fine condition of the glaze, the porcelain item was justified as a sought-after piece when most of the items found were in poor condition by severe degradations.
From the form of the shape and the sturdy body clay, we would credit it as a practical scholar item used...

Description:
A round-shaped pottery inkstone was well preserved.
Supported by three foot which were intriguingly and characteristically in figures as crouching animal, the inkstone was mold with flat surface.
The surface was used as grinding pool for inkcake, so it was concaved in the middle.
In two-step style on the surface, the outer lower rim was designed for resting the lacquered cover which had been decayed and vanished.
Overall it was in newly-excavated condition preserved ...

Description:

A stoneware jar was preserved in an original condition.
Being applied with olive-green glaze on the the body, the jar or Hu was molded with a trumpet-like mouth and stand on a flat bottom.
Two well- mold loops were nicely pressed to the body as handles.
Decorations of incised wave bands were around the mouth while grooved patterns were carved around the body in the middle segment.
Black hue was affected to the slender neck and the mouth portion. It was caused...

Description:

By charming atmosphere and with mysterious beauty, an excavation piece of a jade Bi was presented in a unique form.
As seemly a remnant of a hardstone's boulder of making the jade Bis, the Bi was actually a formal ritual object despite the roughly shaped side and the original stone encrustation preserved.
In ancient times, jade pieces could be always so precious that nothing would be discarded even there're some defects.
Without further modifying work but with o...

Description:

An archaic bronze seal was from Buddhist ritual.
It was cast on the printing side with four ancient Zhuan characters: Fo Fa Seng Bao (Buddha, Buddha dharma, Buddha Followers, Buddha's Holy Treasures).
There's a long slender knob on top of the seal. Three characters Wu Qiong Gang (Endless Strength) were inscribed on the upper side beside the knob.
The seal was kept in perfect condition and was in darken patina due to long time of age.

Song Dynasty, 11th/12...

Description: A bronze figure with the image of Luohan was casted in the 10th century or earlier. With sophisticated expression, this figure was carved vividly. The religious spirit had been casted in the image by the devoted craftsmen when. The material used in this piece was in very good quality. After enduring ages, the bronze surface had turned into dark black shining patina. Faded gilt had left between the pleats of the figure. Date: Liao Dynasty(AD907-1125) Material: Bronze Height: 5.5...

A fine small Thai Antique Genuine Silver box (acid tested) with delicate scrolling work. Hand made, 19th Century. Size: height 4 cm. x 6 cm. diameter. Weight: 18 gr.

This lovely Shino tea bowl fashioned from coarse Mino clay is covered in feldspar glazing, has a classic ferrous abstract painting across the front, and shows nice age—most likely from early to middle Edo.

Shino-ware dates to the Momoyama period when potters were attempting to recreate white porcelain-wares that were being imported from China at the time. Originally they were made in a single-chamber anagama style kilns set into the hillsides. Later, with the advent of large-batc...

This antique Seto piece features a warm matte ash glaze with several patches of darker and lighter pigmentation. The molded clay shows striations that resemble textured wood grains—highlighted by a soft patina developed over many decades of use.

Seto is a pottery tradition established in the 12th century with the aim of reproducing fine Chinese porcelain and tenmoku-style chawan—which were hard to come by in Japan at the time. Later, during the Muromachi period, Seto potters es...

The shape of the this tea bowl is known as “tsutsu” in Japanese and is regarded as being especially attractive. Tsutsu bowls are used mainly in the depths of winter to keep in the heat and prevent the tea from cooling too quickly. Though most tsutsu bowls are defined by their smooth, curved edges and contoured clay bodies, this piece is distinct in having more defined edges and straight sides. Tea disciples of all stripes appreciate this type of bowl for its elegant lines and functional prop...

This generously proportioned chawan (13.5cm in diameter) shows nice age, especially around the kodai, and likely dates from early Edo (several hundred years old). The base is unglazed showing the molded clay, contrasting nicely with the jet black glaze which displays a slight purplish hue when held to the light. The soft sheen of the Raku glaze overlying rippled and shaved clay gives this bowl a distinct presence.

A tradition dating from the mid-16th century, Raku teabowls are made...

Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Typically, black or green glazes are applied to the bodies of these works and light-colored windows are created using feldspar. These high-contrast areas then act as a canvas upon which abstract, minimalistic, and often naturalistic themes are painted in rather exaggerated fashion. This particular composition seems unique among Oribe pieces I have encountered over the years in terms of its ...

Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Kuro Oribe pieces are the most common with their jet-black glazes and feldspar ornamentation tending towards the minimalistic, abstract; and, some would say, Zen-like aesthetic. While the piece shown here is not entirely typical of Oribe pieces, the black glaze, contrast window, and unmistakable kutsugata shape all point to this genre of Minō pottery. Unlike your typical Oribe tea bowl, th...

Japanese Mugiwara pottery emerged in the Mino region of Japan during the Momoyama period in the late 16th century. It is renowned for its distinctive straw-rope patterns etched into or painted on its surfaces that typically contains hues of indigo, mustard, hazel, ochre, and sometimes greens. The creation of Mugiwara pottery involves a process of hand-building or wheel-throwing clay pieces—typically serving dishes, vases, and teaware items—and then meticulously applying a straw-r...

A beautiful old Kyo-ware tea bowl slightly elongated on one end producing an interesting and unique effect. The collector who furnished the box labeled it as being by the legendary potter Ninsei (17th C.). Though the potter’s mark suggests this could be the case, there is no way to confirm for certain other than by its age and undeniably elegant craftsmanship. Believing it to be quite precious, the previous owner bestowed it with the poetic name "Ibitsu" which means "warped" or "cu...

A North Indian pandan steel casket for offering betel. Of circular form with hinged lid, inlaid with flower scrolls in silver. Condition: interior with some oxidation. Dimension: diameter: 12 cm, 9.3 cm high, weight: 606 g.

Like many pottery traditions in Japan, Karatsu takes its name from the city where it originated. As early as the 15th century, Korean potters heavily influenced the development of this form—helping to endow it with the earthy, simple, and natural qualities it is so appreciated for. With crackled glazing and beautiful gold repairs of several types and from several generations, this antique tea bowl is quite attractive, a pleasure to use, and absolutely one of a kind.

In fine antiq...