Attributed to Japanese cloisonne artist Namikawa Sōsuke, this pair of Japanese Meiji period cloisonne vases soared above the $6/8,000 presale estimate to finish at $51,240. Top lot in the sale, they were purchased by an overseas phone bidder from the trade.
Review By W.A. Demers; Photos Courtesy Tremont Auctions
SUDBURY, MASS. — Tremont Auction’s annual spring Asian auction on June 11 was a successful sale with some good surprises. Offering more than 500 lots of Asian ceramics, bronze sculptures, carvings and artwork, it featured the large collection of Donald Snow comprising Japanese inro and netsuke.
Overall, the sale totaled $655,597 with an 88 percent sell-through rate. With about 3,000 registered bidders, it also hosted between 15 and 18 bidders in the gallery, some of them successful in winning lots.
The sale was led by a pair of Japanese cloisonné vases that soared above the $6/8,000 estimate to finish at $51,240. The Meiji period vases were attributed to Namikawa Sōsuke (1847–1910), a noted Japanese cloisonné artist. They were purchased by an overseas phone bidder from the trade.
A large Chinese textile panel sold for $34,290, far above its $400/600 estimate. Depicted in th Eighteenth Century tapestry was a scene of the immortals at Po Shan.
No less surprising was the price attained for a Chinese porcelain vase from the Chien Lung period (1735-1796), 10½ inches high, that surpassed its $800-$1,200 estimate to reach $43,180. Of pilgrim flask form with lobated body, it featured a turquoise ground with magenta stylized Hsien Hua scrolling. One handle had been repaired and reattached to the body. It is heading overseas to China.
A large Chinese textile panel did even better against a $400/600 estimate, going out at $34,290. The Eighteenth Century tapestry presented a scene of the immortals at Po Shan. Framed under glass, it measured overall 52 by 34 inches. It, too, is going back to China.
Carved jade is always sought-after in sales of this material. Here, a Chinese Ming period carved jade hound, a study of a resting canine carved in the Ming period (1368-1644) or earlier was of yellow jade with pronounced russet marking. Presented in an Eighteenth Century fitted silver inlaid stand, the 4-inch-long hound rose to $24,400.
A collection of kozuka or knife handles from various schools, numbering 40 and presented in a case of finely lacquered wood with maki-e of floral scrolls and cranes on a wood grain ground, commanded $20,320.
In Japanese martial arts there is the handle of a knife that is part of a sword mounting. Kept in a slot on the reverse of a katana scabbard, often with a matching hairdressing tool, it is called a kozuka. In this sale, a collection kozuka from various schools, numbering 40 and presented in a case of finely lacquered wood with maki-e of floral scrolls and cranes on a wood grain ground, commanded $20,320.
Locked in a struggle, a fanciful Japanese netsuke of Shoki, the demon queller, wrangling a horse was from the Donald Snow collection. It made $13,640 against a $200/300 estimate. Signed, it measured 2½ inches in length.
Furniture in the sale was led by a Nineteenth Century Chinese round table, which was bid to ten times its estimate, finishing at $11,305. The table’s surfaces were carved with Ju-i scrolling and it had foliated feet and a dragon roundel at the base.
A Ming period animal form censer depicting a mythical horned Luo Dan animal took $8,330.
A choice textile crossing the block at $10,160, nearly 10 times its high estimate, was a Nineteenth Century Chinese dragon robe. From the late Nineteenth Century, it had a deep maroon ground and was embroidered with dragons and auspicious emblems.
Mythological animals, Chinese mystics and deities were represented. A Ming period (1368-1644) animal form censer depicting a mythical horned Luo Dan animal, its surface parcel gilt took $8,330, while an early Twentieth Century porcelain figure of a lama on a fitted stand left the gallery at $7,620 and a Chinese bronze of the god of war battled its way to $5,950.
Additional decorative arts among the top performers included a large pair of Nineteenth Century cinnabar vases. Standing 30 inches high, each had a square body with trumpet mouth. Their surfaces were carved with figures in landscapes and stylized lotus scrolling borders. They sold for $6,350.
A six-panel Chinese jade inset screen from the early Twentieth century featured carved rosewood inlaid with jade, cloisonne and other hardstones and realized $5,474.
Fetching $5,474 was a six-panel Chinese jade inset screen from the early Twentieth Century. It featured carved rosewood inlaid with jade, cloisonne and other hardstones. Lacquered on the reverse, each panel measured approximately 75 by 14½ inches.
In a deep cobalt blue, an Eighteenth Century Chinese vase with Chien Lung mark on its base ignored an estimate of $400/600 and realized $5,236.
Each bringing $5,208 were a Seventeenth Century Tibetan bronze Buddha and a Seventeenth/Eighteenth Century altar front textile panel.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. Tremont’s next sale, antiques, fine and decorative art, will be conducted on August 6. For information, 617-795-1678 or www.tremontauctions.com.
