56 - A FINE SHAKUDO ‘CAT AND BUTTERFLY’ TSUBA

A FINE SHAKUDO ‘CAT AND BUTTERFLY’ TSUBA Unsigned Japan, 19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of kakumarugata form, with one kozuka hitsu-ana, the nakago-ana with suaka sekigane, the shakudo migakiji ground detailed in shishiaibori and katakiribori, as well as gold and iro-e takazogan, featuring a cat and butterfly below a window by a stream, with vines growing on the lattice. HEIGHT 6.7 cm, WIDTH 6.1 cm HEIGHT 2.4 cm (nakago-ana) THICKNESS 0.4 cm (seppa-dai) WEIGHT 117 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, light scratches and few tiny nicks. The cat below the window may allude to Onna San no Miya, the Third Princess in the Tale of Genji, whose runaway pet cat famously caused a bamboo blind to be drawn aside, allowing Kashiwagi to glimpse her for the first time. Auction comparison: Compare a related sentoku tsuba with cat, attributed to Nakajima Toshiharu, dated to the 19 th century, 6.7 cm tall, at Bonhams, London, 6 November 2013, lot 34 (sold for GBP 1,750 or approx. EUR 3,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).