76 - A FINE GOLD-PLATED ‘PEONY’ TSUBA, ATTRIBUTED TO KANO NATSUO

A FINE GOLD-PLATED ‘PEONY’ TSUBA, ATTRIBUTED TO KANO NATSUO School of Kano Natsuo (1828-1898), signed Natsuo Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) The large and thick tsuba of marugata form, with one kozuka and one kogai hitsu ana, crafted from copper alloy and covered in a substantial layer of gold plating of approximately 14–18K fineness. The richly textured ishime ground is masterfully decorated in katakiribori with a magnificent peony in full bloom, its broad, overlapping petals spreading across the lower half of the plate and extending toward the upper right, the finely detailed stamens forming a delicate focal point. The polished floral decoration contrasts beautifully with the minutely stippled ground. The reverse is elegantly engraved with a pair of butterflies. Signed NATSUO. HEIGHT 9 cm, WIDTH 9.1 cm HEIGHT 2.9 cm (nakago-ana) THICKNESS 0.6 cm (seppa-dai) WEIGHT 286 g Provenance: From the private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, United States. Alan Hartman (1930–2023) was a prominent American art dealer who established the renowned Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. Together with his wife Simone (née Horowitz), he assembled an important and diverse collection over more than half a century, particularly distinguished by Japanese netsuke, inro, lacquer, and sword fittings. The couple were also generous patrons of major American museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which inaugurated the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear. With a padded storage box. The magnificent peony dominating the present tsuba reflects the painterly qualities and expressive naturalism for which Kano Natsuo became celebrated. Its broad, finely articulated petals contrast strikingly with the richly textured gold-plated ground, demonstrating a refined balance between ornament and empty space. Particularly noteworthy is the close iconographic correspondence with a documented iron tsuba by Natsuo in the Nezu Museum, Tokyo, similarly depicting a peony to the obverse and butterflies to the reverse. The peony, traditionally associated with wealth and distinction, and the butterflies, symbols of joy and transformation, form an elegant and auspicious composition. Kano Natsuo (1828-1898) was among the most distinguished Japanese metalworkers of the late Edo and Meiji periods. Born in Kyoto and adopted into the family of a sword merchant at the age of seven, he studied metalworking under Okumura Shohachi and Ikeda Takatoshi, while receiving instruction in painting from Nakajima Raisho. His mastery of katakiribori, translating the expressive brushwork of Japanese painting into delicately varying chisel strokes, brought him widespread acclaim. In 1889, he became a professor at the newly established Tokyo School of Fine Arts, and the following year was appointed an Imperial Household Artist (Teishitsu Gigeiin), one of the highest distinctions bestowed upon Japanese craftsmen. His extraordinary reputation inspired generations of followers who continued to produce works in his distinctive style. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related iron tsuba depicting a peony and butterflies by Kano Natsuo, similarly decorated with a boldly carved peony to the obverse and butterflies to the reverse, dated to the 19th century, measuring 7 cm in diameter, in the Nezu Museum, Tokyo, collection no. 80991.