66 - IWAMA MASAYOSHI AND TADATSUGU: A LARGE IRON ‘WASOBYOE IN THE LAND OF GIANTS’ TSUBA

IWAMA MASAYOSHI AND TADATSUGU: A LARGE IRON ‘WASOBYOE IN THE LAND OF GIANTS’ TSUBA By Iwama Masayoshi (1764-1837) (the decoration) and Tadatsugu (the iron plate), signed Masayoshi with kakihan and Tadatsugu Japan, early 18th century (plate), early 19th century (decoration), Edo period (1615-1868) Of marugata form, with one kozuka hitsu ana, the nakago-ana with suaka sekigane, the iron ground decorated in gold and iro-e takazogan and hirazogan featuring Wasobyoe in the hand of a giant who bites his hand nervously, the reverse detailed with Mount Fuji towering over trees, and the mimi lined with a twisted-rope band. Signed Masayoshi with kakihan to one side and Tada[tsugu] on the reverse. HEIGHT 9 cm, WIDTH 8.9 cm HEIGHT 2.6 cm (nakago-ana) THICKNESS 0.4 cm (seppa-dai), 0.6 cm (mimi) WEIGHT 195.1 g Provenance: Christie’s London, 13 July 2006, lot 185, sold for GBP 2,400 or approx. EUR 5,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). From the private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, United States, acquired from the above. A label from Hartman, inscribed ‘Masayoshi NACX’ accompanies the lot. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple were married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Notably, they assembled an impressive collection of Japanese art, focusing on fine netsuke, inro, and lacquer. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear. With a padded storage box. The tsuba depicts a scene from the story of Wasobyoe. In the tale, the titular Wasobyoe sets out by boat from his native Nagasaki on a business trip but is blown off course by a typhoon. He is shipwrecked in the Land of Perennial Youth, where he lives for 200 years, and he subsequently visits a number of other fictitious countries, including the Land of Idlers, the Land of Paradox and the Land of Giants. Iwama Masayoshi (1764-1837) is listed in the Haynes Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists on p. 1007 (H 04907.0). He was a student of the Hamano school artists Naoyuki, Nobuyuki, and Toshiyuki. Some of his pieces are worked in the style of the Goto school. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related tsuba with a giant holding Wasobyoe, signed Shuno Hogen Nobuyoshi, dated 1800-1900, 8.5 cm diameter, in the Rijksmuseum, object number AK-MAK-1133. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Bakumatsu-period iron tsuba with Wasobyoe, signed Furukawa Genchin, dated late 19th century, 8.9 cm, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2013, London, lot 266 (sold for GBP 3,500 or approx. EUR 6,100 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).