1 / 18

Description

KAN: A MASTERFUL RITSUO STYLE INLAID LACQUER BUNKO AND COVER REFERENCING SUGAWARA NO MICHIZANE KAN: A MASTERFUL RITSUO STYLE INLAID LACQUER BUNKO AND COVER REFERENCING SUGAWARA NO MICHIZANE By a follower of Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuo, 1663-1747), most likely by Mochizuki Hanzan (1743-1790), sealed Kan Japan, second half of 18 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published & Exhibited: Cornell University, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Scattered Gold and Midnight Gloss: Japanese Lacquer from the Anbinder Collection, 31 March – 8 July 2007, p. 11. Of rectangular form with lobed edges, the top and sides each with a shaped sunken panel bearing a beautiful gold kinji ground, the cover finely decorated with inlays of aogai, mitsuda, eggshell, coral, and glazed ceramic as well as gold, black, and red takamaki-e to depict three cranes in front of an entrance to the Dazaifu shrine with a blossoming plum tree in the courtyard, the gate tower with subtly inlaid glass windows, the gate and wall roughly textured imitating plaster, the edges and base finished in ishime, the sides gold-lacquered in low relief with Chinese poems (kanshi) by Sugaware no Michizane. The interior of roiro with gold fundame edges, the interior of the cover with gold, red, and black hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with kirigane and mura-nashiji as well as inlays of aogai and mitsuda (pewter) to depict an ox bucking before a meandering river, the lower right corner with an inlaid ceramic seal KAN. SIZE 10.6 x 37.6 x 28.8 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few tiny nicks, occasional light scratches, minor flaking to ceramic inlays, little rubbing to lacquer and mitsuda inlay. Provenance: Heian Art, Kyoto, Japan. The Paul and Helen Anbinder Collection, acquired from the above. Paul Anbinder (b. 1940) is a retired editor who was a director at important publishers, including Random House and Hudson Hills. Helen Anbinder (1942-2022) was an education administrator who ran the Inter-village Continuing Education Program for Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, and Irvington, New York. The couple were avid museumgoers and collectors of art. They donated many books and prints from their collection to their alma mater Cornell University and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. The style of the present bunko is clearly that of Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuo, 1663-1747), but it is more likely to be by Mochizuki Hanzan (Haritsu II, 1743-1790) or a close follower. The design on the cover, depicting the Dazaifu shrine, a blossoming plum tree, and cranes, allegorizes the legends surrounding Sugaware no Michizane, who at the age of ten composed a Chinese poem praising the beauty of plum blossoms under the full moon. The inscriptions on the sides of the box and cover are Chinese poems by Michizane written during his exile. The inside of the cover also refers to Michizane, as after his death his body was carried in a cart by an ox, which suddenly stopped in front of a stream as if it could not be induced to go farther. Michizane’s attendants interpreted this as a sign of where their master wanted to be buried and dug his grave at the exact spot the ox stopped. Later, the Shinto shrine of Dazaifu Tenmangu, visible to the front of this masterful lacquer box, was erected there in his honor. With a wood storage box. Auction comparison: Compare a related woven rattan suzuribako by Mochizuki Hanzan, with a similar shaped panel to the top of the cover, dated to the 18 th century, at Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Collection of Japanese Art Part II, 10 May 2011, London, lot 361 ( sold for 19,200 GBP). Also compare to a related suzuribako by Mochizuki Hanzan, sealed Hanzan, worked with similar bright inlays, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 3 December 2021, Vienna, lot 165 ( sold for EUR 50,560).

21 
Go to lot
<
>

KAN: A MASTERFUL RITSUO STYLE INLAID LACQUER BUNKO AND COVER REFERENCING SUGAWARA NO MICHIZANE KAN: A MASTERFUL RITSUO STYLE INLAID LACQUER BUNKO AND COVER REFERENCING SUGAWARA NO MICHIZANE By a follower of Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuo, 1663-1747), most likely by Mochizuki Hanzan (1743-1790), sealed Kan Japan, second half of 18 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published & Exhibited: Cornell University, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Scattered Gold and Midnight Gloss: Japanese Lacquer from the Anbinder Collection, 31 March – 8 July 2007, p. 11. Of rectangular form with lobed edges, the top and sides each with a shaped sunken panel bearing a beautiful gold kinji ground, the cover finely decorated with inlays of aogai, mitsuda, eggshell, coral, and glazed ceramic as well as gold, black, and red takamaki-e to depict three cranes in front of an entrance to the Dazaifu shrine with a blossoming plum tree in the courtyard, the gate tower with subtly inlaid glass windows, the gate and wall roughly textured imitating plaster, the edges and base finished in ishime, the sides gold-lacquered in low relief with Chinese poems (kanshi) by Sugaware no Michizane. The interior of roiro with gold fundame edges, the interior of the cover with gold, red, and black hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with kirigane and mura-nashiji as well as inlays of aogai and mitsuda (pewter) to depict an ox bucking before a meandering river, the lower right corner with an inlaid ceramic seal KAN. SIZE 10.6 x 37.6 x 28.8 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few tiny nicks, occasional light scratches, minor flaking to ceramic inlays, little rubbing to lacquer and mitsuda inlay. Provenance: Heian Art, Kyoto, Japan. The Paul and Helen Anbinder Collection, acquired from the above. Paul Anbinder (b. 1940) is a retired editor who was a director at important publishers, including Random House and Hudson Hills. Helen Anbinder (1942-2022) was an education administrator who ran the Inter-village Continuing Education Program for Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, and Irvington, New York. The couple were avid museumgoers and collectors of art. They donated many books and prints from their collection to their alma mater Cornell University and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. The style of the present bunko is clearly that of Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuo, 1663-1747), but it is more likely to be by Mochizuki Hanzan (Haritsu II, 1743-1790) or a close follower. The design on the cover, depicting the Dazaifu shrine, a blossoming plum tree, and cranes, allegorizes the legends surrounding Sugaware no Michizane, who at the age of ten composed a Chinese poem praising the beauty of plum blossoms under the full moon. The inscriptions on the sides of the box and cover are Chinese poems by Michizane written during his exile. The inside of the cover also refers to Michizane, as after his death his body was carried in a cart by an ox, which suddenly stopped in front of a stream as if it could not be induced to go farther. Michizane’s attendants interpreted this as a sign of where their master wanted to be buried and dug his grave at the exact spot the ox stopped. Later, the Shinto shrine of Dazaifu Tenmangu, visible to the front of this masterful lacquer box, was erected there in his honor. With a wood storage box. Auction comparison: Compare a related woven rattan suzuribako by Mochizuki Hanzan, with a similar shaped panel to the top of the cover, dated to the 18 th century, at Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Collection of Japanese Art Part II, 10 May 2011, London, lot 361 ( sold for 19,200 GBP). Also compare to a related suzuribako by Mochizuki Hanzan, sealed Hanzan, worked with similar bright inlays, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 3 December 2021, Vienna, lot 165 ( sold for EUR 50,560).

Estimate 4 000 - 8 000 EUR
Starting price 4 000 EUR

* Not including buyer’s premium.
Please read the conditions of sale for more information.

Sale fees: 30 %
Leave bid
Register

For sale on Tuesday 03 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)
vienna, Austria
Galerie Zacke
+4315320452
Browse the catalogue Sales terms Sale info

Delivery to
Change delivery address
Delivery is not mandatory.
You may use the carrier of your choice.
The indicated price does not include the price of the lot or the auction house's fees.

You may also like

A FINE RINPA STYLE LACQUER BUNKO WITH A COCKEREL ON A WAR DRUM, AFTER OGATA KORIN A FINE RINPA STYLE LACQUER BUNKO WITH A COCKEREL ON A WAR DRUM, AFTER OGATA KORIN After Ogata Korin, signed Korin and sealed Hoshuku Japan, late 19 th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) Of rectangular form with rounded corners, worked in gold, red-lacquer, and mitsuda (pewter) takamaki-e and hiramaki-e with large mother-of-pearl inlays, all against a fine roiro ground. The cover depicting a large rooster (tori) resting on a war drum with large ivy vines growing around it. The interior of the cover decorated with a biwa (lute) and shakuhachi (flute), and the box with kiku (chrysanthemum) blossoms and bamboo. Signed to underside of the cover KORIN and sealed Hoshuku. SIZE 49.5 x 32.7 x 14.5 cm Condition: Good condition with minor wear, small losses to the mother-of-pearl inlays, and wear to the edges of the cover and box. Rinpa is a modern term that refers to a distinctive style of Japanese pictorial and applied arts that arose in the early seventeenth century and has continued through modern times. Literally meaning ‘school of Korin,’ Rinpa derives its name from Ogata Korin (1658–1716), a celebrated painter from Kyoto. It embraces art marked by a bold, graphic abbreviation of natural motifs, frequent reference to traditional court literature and poetry, the lavish use of expensive mineral and metallic pigments, incorporation of calligraphy into painting compositions, and innovative experimentation with new brush techniques. Transmitted by means of pattern books and manuals, the work of the Ogata Korin inspired numerous other craftsmen.

RITSUO: A BLACK LACQUER TWO-CASE INRO WITH SEALS RITSUO: A BLACK LACQUER TWO-CASE INRO WITH SEALS By Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuo, 1663-1747), signed with a seal Ritsuo 笠翁 Japan, 18 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: Earle, Joe [ed.] (1995) E. A. Wrangham, The Index of Inro Artists, p. 212, top row, fourth from left (only the seal is illustrated). The wide-bodied two-case inro bearing a fine roiro ground and lacquered in takamaki-e to simulate three seals inscribed, ‘Kiho’ [Discipline], ‘Shisai’ [The Studio/Room of Thoughts], and ‘Zhang Jizhi yin’ [The seal of Zhang Jizhi]. Signed with a square red lacquer seal RITSUO. The interior compartments lacquered in roiro with gold fundame rims. With a gilt metal ojime decorated with foliage. HEIGHT 6.3 cm, LENGTH 7.7 cm Condition: Good age-related condition with wear. Minor flaking to lacquer to the rounded ends, tiny scratches to the bottom, and few losses along the edges of the cases. Chips to two corners by the cord holes. Provenance: Ex-collection W.W. Winkworth, 1984. Ex-collection Edward Wrangham (no. 1725). Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Collection of Japanese Art, 9 November 2010, London, lot 211 ( sold for GBP 3,000). An old loose collection label to the interior, ‘EA Wrangham Collection 1725’. Another old collection number affixed to the underside of the first case, ‘956’. Edward A. ‘Ted’ Wrangham (1928-2009) formed one of the most important collections of Japanese Art in modern times. His reference book ‘The Index of Inro Artists’ (1995) is considered one of the most important English-language studies on Japanese lacquer ever published. ‘Shisai’ [The Studio/Room of Thoughts] is based on a Chinese idiomatic expression "To see the wise and good and think of the wise and good." Zhang Jizhi (1186-1263) was a famous Chinese calligrapher of the Song Dynasty. He was known as Cho Sokushi in Japan.

RITSUO: A MASTERFUL AND RARE INLAID TWO-CASE INRO DEPICTING THE YOKAI BOX FROM THE SHITAKIRI SUZUME RITSUO: A MASTERFUL AND RARE INLAID TWO-CASE INRO DEPICTING THE YOKAI BOX FROM THE SHITAKIRI SUZUME Attributed to Mochizuki Hanzan (1743-1790), signed Ritsuo 笠翁 and kakihan Japan, 18 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) The remarkable two-case inro of box shape, acting as a trompe-l’œil optical illusion, with a ‘hinged lid’ opening to reveal several yokai creatures, inlaid in stained horn, antler, amber, ceramic, and various metals. A rokurokubi-esque snail creature with a single cycloptic eye is seen to the very left, poking its long neck through a hole in the box, next to a praying mantis with gilt eyes, and two anthropomorphic frog-creatures to the right. The ground is lacquered in an attractive reddish-brown, simulating a basketweave design, the front decorated with a gold sparrow crest, a metal-inlaid snail slithering through teared holes to either side of the inro and further with carved red lacquer flames emerging from within throughout the composition. A wasp and a butterfly are visible within the opening to the sides of the inro. With realistically modeled metal fittings posing as the hinges and closing mechanism of the box. Signed underneath in gold lacquer RITSUO with a red-lacquered kakihan, identifying the artist as Mochizuki Hanzan (Haritsu II, 1743-1790). The interior of dense nashiji with gold fundame rims. HEIGHT 6.6 cm, LENGTH 7 cm Condition: Very good condition. Only minor wear and rubbing to lacquer, some typical minuscule losses along the edges, some light surface scratches to the underside. Mochizuki Hanzan, thought to have lived from 1743 to 1790, called himself Haritsu II and was a close follower of Ogawa Haritsu (1663-1747) though he was neither his son nor his pupil. The kakihan (artist’s cursive monogram) on the present inro is a close match to a kakihan seen on an inro bearing his signature, the signature illustrated in Wrangham, E. A. (1995) The Index of Inro Artists, p. 67. The inro depicts the famous treasure box from the Tongue-Cut Sparrow (Shitakiri Suzume), which was opened by the story’s culprit, Arababa, and contains a host of supernatural bakemono and yokai.