79 - A FINE HIRATA SCHOOL SHIPPO-INLAID SHAKUDO ‘FOLDED PAPER’ TSUBA

A FINE HIRATA SCHOOL SHIPPO-INLAID SHAKUDO ‘FOLDED PAPER’ TSUBA Unsigned Japan, late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of mokkogata form, pierced with two hitsu-ana for the kozuka and kogai, the lustrous shakudo migakiji ground finely inlaid on both sides with folded ornamental papers worked in vibrant polychrome shippo enamels, their delicate floral and geometric patterns rendered in shades of turquoise, blue, green, purple, and white, intricately outlined in fine gold-wire cloisons. The striking contrast between the brightly colored enamel decoration and the smooth, deep black ground is particularly characteristic of the refined ornamental style of the Hirata school. HEIGHT 6.9 cm, WIDTH 6 cm HEIGHT 2.8 cm (nakago-ana) THICKNESS 0.4 cm (seppa-dai) WEIGHT 110 g Provenance: From the private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York. 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 and few fine scratches to the shakudo ground. The cloisonné enamels with scattered minute pitting and expected manufacturing irregularities, overall exceptionally well preserved. The use of fine cloisonné work on sword furniture was pioneered by Hirata Donin (died 1646), who served as court enameler to the Tokugawa shogunate and was succeeded by successive generations of his family. The school's distinctive enamels, typically outlined in delicate gold-wire cloisons, were inlaid into iron, shakudo, and other metal grounds. A characteristic feature is the use of minute spirals and scrolling motifs in gold wire, known as ‘Hirata curls.’ Museum comparison: Compare a closely related shakudo tsuba decorated in gold-wire cloisonné enamels with plants and a fan mount, dated c. 1800, 6.4 cm high, in the Ashmolean Museum, accession number EAX.11176. Auction comparison: Compare a related Hirata school shakudo tsuba decorated with gold and polychrome enamels depicting paulownia, chrysanthemum, and other family crests, dated to the 18th century, 6.8 cm high, at Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, 26 October 2022, lot 104 (sold for USD 4,462 or approx. EUR 4,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).