54 - A FINE SHIBUICHI ‘CROW AND HERON ON A WILLOW BRANCH’ TSUBA

A FINE SHIBUICHI ‘CROW AND HERON ON A WILLOW BRANCH’ TSUBA Unsigned Japan, 19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of aorigata form, with one kozuka hitsu-ana, the shibuichi migakiji ground detailed in silver, gold, and shakudo takazogan and hirazogan, as well as shishiaibori and katakiribori, to depict a heron and crow on a willow branch beside water, the reverse set with a full moon shrouded by misty clouds over a stream. HEIGHT 7.8 cm, WIDTH 5.9 cm HEIGHT 2.5 cm (nakago-ana) THICKNESS 0.4 cm (seppa-dai) WEIGHT 108 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: Excellent condition with minor wear. The juxtaposition of the black crow and white heron belongs to the traditional Japanese subject known as uro-zu, literally ‘pictures of crows and herons’. The contrasting birds were associated with opposing yet complementary forces, their black-and-white plumage lending itself particularly well to the refined tonal and material contrasts of Japanese metalwork. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related iron tsuba with crow and heron on a willow branch, signed Edo ju Nara saku, dated 1800-1867, in the Walters Art Museum, accession number 51.266.