Spoils of Time Asian Ceramics and Works of Art
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All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Minerals : Shell : Pre 1900 item #1075975
Spoils of Time
$95.00
The lorgnette handle with octagonal mother of pearl paneling in three sections divided by gold filled fixtures. the end with deep, bright engraved end cap and the telescoping gold filled extender with horn, dovetailed retainer and smaller, simple end cap. Good condition with an almost imperceptible small "flea bite" to a corner of one mother of pearl panel and a tiny dent in the gold filled ornamental end cap - also not at all distracting (try to find lower left leaf in our last enlargement.) Length extended 7 3/4 inches (19.69cm). Length closed 4 1/2 inches (11.43cm)
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Swords and Related : Pre 1700 item #1333823
Spoils of Time
$575.00
A katchushi (or armorer's) tsuba, probably Myochin, with pierced decoration of ship's rudders (the significance being a comparison of rudders steering a ship to values guiding a Samurai's life choices.) The strong, homogenous, dense iron plate with only light tekkotsu and smooth to the touch. Dark patina. Momoyama to early Edo. Good condition: Lamination folds with openings evident on the surface of one side. Ex Skip Holbrook collection. 3 3/32" x 3 1/16" x 1/8" (7.8 cm x 7.7 cm x .32 cm)
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Tea Articles : Pre 1920 item #1135879
Spoils of Time
$345.00
A Nezumi Shino covered box or jar. Probably a mukozuke (but for which we are not familiar with examples accompanied by a cover.) White slip inlaid into incised decoration under the warm, gray glaze - conspicuous on the cover but not so much in decoration on the sides of the box where contrast does not succeed as well. A pleasant "swipe" of white slip under the cover provides a bit of a "surprise". The interior of the jar coarsely textured and with a similar, large and broad swipe of white slip from the bottom and diagonally up across three sides. The red body exposed on the foot ridged with three swipes of a potter's knife and an impressed artist's seal along the edge - partially covered by the glaze. Good condition. About 3 3/4 inches square (9.525 cm) and about the same height to the finial handle.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Porcelain : Pre 1837 VR item #1490707
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A fine pair of Hizen-yaki, Arita kilns blue and white porcelain dishes in the Kakiemon style. The molded, spiral foliate cavettos sporting similarly shaped undulating shonsui panels with ‘three friends of winter’ decoration and other, typically shonsui shape patterns. The Peony motif centers surrounded by a band of auspicious symbols in shironuki. Chocolate colored, iron-oxidized rims. The unglazed foot rims encircle glazed bottoms with chatter marks nearly reaching the blue underglaze Fuku marks. Four kiln spurs on the bottom of one dish, five kiln spurs on the other dish. Edo period and probably Ca 1800. Both in good condition. Diameters about 8 1/8 inches and 8 1/4 inches.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Swords and Related : Pre 1837 VR item #1319339
Spoils of Time
$265.00
Pair of Kinko (soft metal, as distinguished from iron) menuki. The soft metal copper alloy with dark patination (perhaps shakudo) depicting a pair of shishi or dogs (these are more dog like than most shishi I've seen, which are often thought to be lions.) The dogs with hair defined with fine incising. Decoration in gold including spots and pupils on the dogs, the collars each with a bell, and sprays of flowers. One of the menuki appears to have a miniature gold self-righting figure of Daruma (an 'okiagari koboshi' toy) on its back along with the flower spray. Appear to be earlier Edo. Very good condition. They were "saved" from a Cha-donsu studded with good, old menuki. So we suppose you could call these dogs "rescues" :) There is solder evidence on the back but that is never accessible when mounted on a tsuka. (These would be a good match with another of our listings - a kozuka, item #1318102.) Length, 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 inches (2.86 to 3.17 cm)
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Southeast Asian : Metalwork : Pre 1920 item #1287469
Spoils of Time
$295.00
A Philippined betel nut box. Silver inlaid decoration on bronze. Rectangular form with canted corners and conforming hinged cover over three comparments (two small side compartments, one with old lime residue, flanking one large central compartment also with hinged covers. All hinges held by wood pinning. Good condition. Length, not including the bale handles on each side, 6 7/8 inches (17.46 cm)
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Porcelain : Pre 1920 item #1230021
Spoils of Time
$69.00
Pair small Japanese blue and white porcelain dishes. Hawthorne style decoration of prunus branches in bloom. Verso with three prunus branches. Blue underglaze mark centered within the foot rim. Fair to decent condition with a few frit like flea bites to the glaze along the rims. No cracks and no hairlines. Diameter each about 7 1/8 inches (18.1 cm)
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Chinese : Hardstones : Pre 1900 item #1486891
Spoils of Time
Small Chinese Bi-form white jade ornament in the Mughal manner with cupped chrysanthemum petals in three, concentric, graduated circles surrounding a cross-hatched, pierced center. The flat verso cupped slightly toward the face along the rim, with small drilling (exhibiting hand craftsmanship) either side of the central aperture and with the surface exhibiting natural texture of the hand worked surface. Qing dynasty. Good condition. Diameter 2 1/8 inches.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Lacquer : Pre 1837 VR item #1337646
Spoils of Time
$4,900.00
This is one of the more intriguing lacquer objects we have owned. Adorned with maki-e Aoe (hollyhock) Ka-mon on nashiji ground (also known as the Kamo Aoi as it was sacred to the Kamo shrine), family crest for prominent daimyo families including the Tokugawa and the Matsudaira during the Momoyama and Edo periods. Even the drawer pull is fashioned as an open worked shibuichi Aoe Ka-mon with the surprise of a textured, kinko (soft metal) raised backing only if you look for it. More interesting yet is the unusual form of this object - perhaps an only opportunity to acquire an example. Resembling a food tray on stand, it nonetheless has a drawer (not common to the form.) And a tall cover comes with a screen (silk?) as if to permit viewing whilst keeping something either in or out. We have not found another example of the form and so are not certain if it might be a covered dining tray (though the drawer) if intended to keep bugs out. Or perhaps it is in fact an insect terrarium (someone suggested it might be a large "cricket cage" or for praying mantis - maybe even to observe mantis combat) keeping the bugs in as it were. We can only speculate at the moment and heartily welcome suggestions or insight - maybe something not yet considered. The covered stand is in rather good condition for a mid Edo lacquer object. Good condition with expected testimony of age and use. There are the usual small lacquer losses mostly to edging (not at all detracting.) There is some fading - varying to the extent exposed to light (see our enlargement comparing surfaces of exterior, screened interior, drawer interior.) There is one minutely small handle stop stud missing from the screened cover. 18th to early 19th century. 13 inches (33.02 cm) high, 9 5/8 (24.45 cm) inches wide, 12 inches (30.48 cm) long.

Since listing this item, someone has suggested its holding fireflies (hotaru) as a possible use.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Porcelain : Pre 1900 item #1424293
Spoils of Time
$1,400.00
A well made 19th century Japanese porcelain haisen (sake up rinser on stem foot). Rare Shunga decoration depicting a bondage scene within the bowl. The manner of the painted decoration in comic fashion similar to that found on some shunga makimono. Shunga paintings and prints are rare enough but encountered. Edo period porcelains with shunga decoration are exceedingly rare. Good condition. Height, 4 1/2 inches. Diameter, 6 3/4 inches.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Korean : Ceramics : Pre 1492 item #1479748
Spoils of Time
$1,150.00
A rare late Koryo dynasty Punch’ong bottle vase. Olive toned green ware glaze simply but finely decorated with off-white skip within carved pattern. Height, about 3 5/8 inches. Excellent condition and conveying with Japanese collector’s box. 14th century
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Porcelain : Pre 1700 item #1133096
Spoils of Time
$2,900.00
A fine and early museum quality complete set of five Ko-Imari, Kakiemon style cups or choko. Blue underglaze and green, red, aubergine, yellow and black overglaze enamel decoration of peonies and prunus blossoms in garden landscape with rockery and fence. Traces of rubbed gilt enameled highlights. The choko form saw many uses such as teabowls (also seen in early European ceramics after Japanese examples of the period), large sake cups, and mukozuke. We estimate from the delicate but sure potting, the free hand but care of painted decoration, and color of enamels that these cups are Genroku era - late 17th to early 18th century. Each with blue underglaze spurious six character Chenghua mark in single blue circle inside a narrow ring foot. Very good condition considering age and use with expected light scratching to surfaces from use over the centuries and minor imperfections as would be expected from the period. One with an attractive, old gold lacquer filled stable line from the rim - that bowl also rendering a pleasant resonance when lightly tapped. Diameters are not perfect circles but longest length of each is nearly 4 inches diameter (about 10.15 cm). Height (and foot diameters) similarly varies near 2 1/2 inches (6.35 cm). We acquired this set with an old, labeled tomobako in which we continue to store the cups. The label reads "Ko-Imari choko go kyaku, inokuchi" (the last term, inokuchi, referring to the possible use of this five piece set as sake choko.) The box (missing its top) apparently having started its life with the cups, it is understood that the cups are earlier.
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Glass : American : Pre 1910 item #1052413
Spoils of Time
$195.00
A set of five Victorian cranberry glass fingerbowls of compressed form with waisted rim. Raised on a tapered foot with polished pontil. Condition is good - varying slightly from bowl to bowl. No cracks or abrasions. Rim diameter 4 7/8 in. About 5 1/2 diameter at the broadest point. Foot diameter about 2 3/4 in.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Southeast Asian : Sculpture : Pre 1920 item #1310276
Spoils of Time
$900.00
A set of six unusual Buddhist bronze figures, each seated upon a lotus base and generally forming a pear shape. The mustached and bearded figures with plumed head wear and flowing robes each holding a musical instrument - one reading a sutra. It appears the figures were all from the same mould while the arms and attributes were done separately and joined to the figures. The latter figure (particularly) exhibiting wear to the apparently gilt surface, revealing the bronze alloy on the rubbed stomach and sides. The underside of each bronze closed by a recessed copper plate with embossed decoration. Hasty research finds that Indonesia has along history of three dimensional mandalas of which the 9th century temple at Borobodur provides the grandest example. Small Indonesian bronze mandala figures are known to date to as early as the 10th century. The tradition has persisted or repeated into the turn of the 20th century. These figures, clearly with Asian characteristics but with South Asian qualities including longer hair and full mustaches and beards below the chin, may represent later Islamic influence (though depiction of a human form and especially an idol would be prohibited within strict interpretation of Islam.) A melding of different religious experience and culture can be observed. We have seen only a couple similar figures described as late 19th century or early 20th century and only one other set. About turn of the century, we opt for a conservative dating of "pre 1920". We arrive at a price of $900 from an average of about $150 per figure but sold as a set. Good condition though showing imperfections of somewhat provincial castings and metalwork. Each height about 4 3/4 inches (12 cm) to top of plume.
All Items : Traditional Collectibles : Books : References : Antiques : Pre 1990 item #1316778
Spoils of Time
$180.00
This is Volume I of Ancient Chinese Bronzes In The Arthur M. Sackler Collections - Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, by Robert W. Bagley, 1987 (first edition.) A must have for serious students of ancient Chinese bronzes. 599 richly illustrated pages including index and credits. Steeped in substantive historical, cultural, techniques, styles and forms, scientific analyis, and other scholarship. We are not book specialists and are selling from our own library collection. We consider this book to be in good condition with unmarked pages, slightly rubbed dustcover in good condition, light warping to part bottom of some pages from water exposure. ISBN 0-674-80525-9
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Woodblock Prints : Pre 1900 item #1295161
Spoils of Time
$380.00
Shigenobu (Hiroshige II) 1826-1869. The oban tate-e triptych depicts Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Sakata no Kintoki and Watanabe no Tsuna entering the mountain home of the demons. Circa 1851-1853. Shigenobu was a pupil of Ando Hiroshige and adopted his name to become the second generation after his master's passing in 1858. Condition of these prints are faded, wrinkles - some creased, margins trimmed and uneven, light wormage and pin holes, light foxing and soil. As challenged as the condition sounds, this dramatic and colorful triptych would frame and present nicely on a decorative basis and as a conversation piece. These prints may best ship (at buyer's expense) detached from the current backing and matting to reduce package size.
All Items : Vintage Arts : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Enamel : Pre 1980 item #1489384
Spoils of Time
A teal colored cloisonne enamel vase with peony and vine decoration within fine silver wire and with subtle blue on yellow hues accenting the petals and leaves. Two character signature on the silver footrim and in the box (and with printed material) accompanied when acquired. Excellent condition. Height, 8 1/2 inches
All Items : Vintage Arts : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Lacquer : Pre 1980 item #1187828
Spoils of Time
$85.00
A Kamakura-bori red over black lacquer plate with flowering Hibiscus decoration. Inscribed in hiragana on the black lacquered surface inside the foot rim. Good condition with some rubbing to the wood on edges of the lacquered, carved flower decoration. Diameter, 9 3/8 inches (23.8 cm)