Lot 125. A rare and unusual pair of cloisonné rhombus-shaped vases, Jiaqing-Daoguang period (1796-1850); 14 1/2in (36.8cm) high. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€ 26,000 - 43,000). AMENDED © Bonhams 2001-2018 

NEW YORK, NY.- On September 10 and 12, Bonhams will offer three auctions — Chinese Works of Art and Paintings, Ancient Skills, New Worlds: Twenty Treasures of Japanese Metalwork from a Private Collection, and Fine Japanese and Korean Art. The sales present an array of 600 rare and exquisite metalwork, cloisonné, ceramics, prints, and paintings with accessible estimates, which offers an opportunity for both seasoned and new collectors to develop and enrich their collections. Public exhibitions begin September 6. 

Chinese Works of Art and Paintings- September 10 at 1PM 
The sale of Chinese Works of Art and Paintings will be held on September 10 and features 300 lots, representing works from a variety of collecting categories including ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, cloisonné, furniture, scholar’s objects, and snuff bottles. Highlights include a rare and unusual pair of cloisonné rhombus-shaped vases from the Jiaqing/Daoguang period (estimate: $30,000-50,000); Summer Mountain, 1710, a hanging scroll painted by Huang Ding (1660-1730) (estimate: $30,000-50,000); Figure and Landscape #4, 1971, a modern painting by Chuang Che (Zhuang Zhe, b. 1934) (estimate: $25,000-35,000); and a Huanghuali Table Top Cabinet, 18th century (estimate: $15,000-20,000). 

Lot 125. A rare and unusual pair of cloisonné rhombus-shaped vases, Jiaqing-Daoguang period (1796-1850); 14 1/2in (36.8cm) high. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€ 26,000 - 43,000). AMENDED  © Bonhams 2001-2018.

Each of lozenge section, made in the mirror image of the other, the rectangular sides each delicately enameled with a vignette of flowers in an elegant and richly decorated vase flanked by archaic bronze vessels and other antiques, arranged with scholar's implements, auspicious objects and fruit, all against a wan fret ground, enclosed by key fret borders and separated by raised dentil-notched flanges set at the corners, all beneath a neck decorated with elaborate Buddhist canopies suspending chimes and tassels below a galleried rim, inscribed in cursive script Recuerdo á Elena Smith de Gomez Diciembre 5 de 1885, all supported on a pedestal foot decorated with leaping carp against churning waves, the gilded foot impressed with two-character relief mark Decheng.

Note: According to Bèatrice Quette (ed.) in Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Bard Graduate Center, New York, 2011, p. 167, the production of enamels by the Imperial Manufactures decreased after the Jiaqing period, and the finest surviving cloisonne objects of this period exhibit marks of official and private organizations and workshops, with Dechang being one of them.

The workmanship on these pair of vases is exceptionally fine. There are hardly any bubbles in the enamels or spilling over of colors, and the wirework is exquisite. Each of the vases and bronze vessels decorating the sides are rendered in great detail, and all the flowers and fruit are so realistically portrayed as to be easily identifiable. The level of skill exhibited on this pair of vases is reminiscent of that seen on one side of a Qianlong period two-sided cloisonne panel sensitively depicting narcissus, nandina and plum blossoms against a wan fret ground, illustrated op. cit., fig. 7.23, p. 142. The similar level of quality on the present lot would therefore suggest an early 19th century date. Furthermore, the rims of the present lot are inscribed with the year 1885, indicating that the vases were produced prior to that date. 

Other cloisonne pieces with similar Decheng marks are in the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, Springfield, MA, dated 19th century, and the Phoenix Art Museum, AZ, dated Guangxu period, illustrated op.cit., no. 146, p. 299 and no.147, p. 300 respectively. The latter example came with a note indicating that the Dechang name was so well-known by that time that copies bearing the Decheng name were circulating during the Guangxu period, op. cit., fig. 2.21, p. 28. 

Further examples of Decheng cloisonne have sold at Christie's, New York; 18 September 2014, lot 651, and 20 October 2004, lots 445 and 446.

Lot 224. Huang Ding (1660-1730), Gazing at Waterfall. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, inscribed and signed Fan Qi, followed by one artist's seal reading Fan Qi yin, with four collectors' seals Yixuan guomu, Yinshi xiantang zhencang jinshi shuhua zhi zhang, dingchou jiehou yucun, and Zhichen suocang, mounted with an inscription by Pan Feisheng (1858-1934) above the painting, dated dingmao (1927). 23 x 14 3/4in (58 x 37.2cm). Estimate: US$ 5,000 - 7,000 (€ 4,300 - 6,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Lot 273^W. Chuang Che (Zhuang Zhe, b. 1934), Figure and Landscape #4, 1971. Framed, acrylic and collage on canvas, dated 1971, signed Zhuang Zhe in Chinese. 51 1/4 x 66 1/4in (130.2 x 168.3cm). Estimate: US$ 25,000 - 35,000 (€ 21,000 - 30,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Provenance: Forsythe Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 弗爾賽畫廊，密西根州 label to the reverse.

Lot 97. A Huanghuali Table Top Cabinet, 18th century; 9 1/2 x 24 1/4 x 16 1/2in (24.2 x 60.9 x 41.9cm). Estimate: $15,000-20,000 (€ 13,000 - 17,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

The well-figured top panel set into a mitered, mortise and tenon frame over a pair of drawers set over a long storage compartment, the side panels and fronts of the drawers elegantly carved with leafy foliage, the scalloped apron and short cabriole legs, carved with beaded edges extending upwards to form foliate scrolls.

Ancient Skills, New Worlds: Twenty Treasures of Japanese Metalwork from a Private Collection- September 12 at 10AM 
Among the highlights of the week is Ancient Skills, New Worlds: Twenty Treasures of Japanese Metalwork from a Private Collection, a sale completely devoted to the finest examples of metal work from the Meiji Era. In addition, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, one of the key dates in the history not just of Japan, but of East Asia as a whole. Leading the collection includes a large and outstanding rare documentary bronze incense-burner, Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1880 (estimate: $90,000-120,000). This major work includes a classical-style winged Pegasus, a motif not seen in traditional Japanese art. While no catalogue illustration has been found to confirm the speculation, it seems more than likely that it was exhibited outside Japan, perhaps at the 1878 Paris Exposition. 

Lot 10. Kiryu Kosho Kaisha 起立工商会社 (The Pioneerinf Craft and Commerce Company). A Large and Outstanding Rare Documentary Bronze Incense-Burner, Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1880; 34in (86.5cm) high with stand; 27 1/8in (69cm) high without stand. Estimate: US$ 90,000-120,000 (€ 77,000 - 100,000). Unsold. © Bonhams 2001-2018.

Of rectangular form and stepped outline with two vertical handles, the mottled reddish-brown patinated bronze body decorated with several bands of decoration largely based on early Chinese ornament, variously executed in different techniques as follows: the base cast with seigaiha (stylized wave) designs, the foot cast and inlaid with floral designs, the front and back of the body each with cast relief of a hōō bird surrounded by leaves and tendrils, the sides of the body each cast with a peony blossom, a wider band above the body cast with ascending and descending lappets, the bands below the mouth variously decorated in flat gold inlay with stylized fish, confronted hōō and other exotic birds, and hares and clematis, the topmost register of the vase, the lowest register of the cover, and the handles cast with concentric whorls, the sides of the lid decorated in flat gold inlay with exotic birds and squirrels and grapes, the topmost register of the cover cast with stylized floral motifs, the cover surmounted by a prancing, richly caparisoned winged horse with inlaid gold and silver decoration; with a later wood stand with gold-lacquer squirrel-and-grape designs echoing the designs around the cover.

Note: The present lot is a very rare instance of a major work whose original design appears in Onchi zuroku, a collection of more than 2,500 designs compiled by the Japanese government for arts and crafts destined for display at the great domestic and international expositions of the later nineteenth century; the exhibitions concerned were the 1877 and 1894 Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai (Domestic Industrial Promotion Exhibitions), the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition and the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle. The examples preserved in Onchi zuroku (and published on CD-ROM in 1997 with the assistance of the Khalili Family Trust), several of them from the hands of major painters of the time, are selections from a still greater number of designs that were commissioned by the Hakurankai Jimukyoku (Expositions Office) in response to requests to craftsmen throughout Japan who aspired to participate in these great events. The designs (front and side views) relating to the present lot, described in the annotations as a kōro (incense-burner) despite the absence of openings to allow smoke to escape, exactly reproduce the profile, the vertical handles, the caparisoned winged horse finial, and the surface decoration. Separate documentation within Onchi zuroku confirms that this design was prepared for Kiryū Kōshō Kaisha (Pioneering Craft and Commerce Company), the leading public-private trading enterprise described in the footnote to lot 1.

Detail from Onchi zuroku.

Although the incense-burner's maker is not mentioned, the high quality of both casting and decoration suggests that the great Suzuki Chōkichi (see lots 1 and 20) very probably played a major part in its creation. This masterpiece of the bronze-caster's art bears eloquent testimony to the makers' ambition to vie with their European contemporaries and attract critical acclaim through a bold combination of Chinese form and decoration with a classical-style winged Pegasus, a motif not seen in traditional Japanese art. While no catalogue illustration has been found to confirm the speculation, it seems more than likely that it was exhibited outside Japan, perhaps at the 1878 Paris Exposition.

Reference: Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan 東京国立博物館 (Tokyo National Museum) 1997, CD-ROM, image nos. C40027.jpg and C40028.jpg, index no. 54–8, left-hand page: Daisangō kōro 第三号　香爐 (No. 3, incense-burner) Kōshō Kaisha 工商会社 ([Kiryū] Kōshō Kaisha) and no. 54–9, right-hand page: Daisangō sokumen 大三号　側面 (No. 3, side view).

Further highlights include a mixed-metal model of a hawk with an en-suite lacquer stand by Tomonobu, Meiji era (1868–1912), 1898 (estimate: $100,000-125,000), an exquisitely crafted figure of a hawk that were widely admired by the Japanese elite; a rare pair of large bronze hōō bird and tortoise okimono ornaments by Muroe Kichibei (1841-1903), Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1880, (estimate: $60,000-80,000), a striking, boldly modeled pair of ancient Chinese mythical animals; and a rare large bronze charger depicting Takashima Ōiko and Saeki Ujinaga, Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1890–1900 (estimate: $50,000-60,000), a rare example of later Meiji-era metalwork with a design taken from the work of one of the most celebrated artists of the time, the painter and print-designer Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.  

Lot 15. Tomonobu 友信, A Mixed-Metal Model of a Hawk with an En-Suite Lacquer Stand, Meiji era (1868–1912), 1898. Height overall 24 1/8 in. (61.2 cm). Height without stand 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm). Estimate: US$ 100,000 - 125,000 (€ 86,000 - 110,000). Unsold. © Bonhams 2001-2018.

Naturalistically modeled, of silver, shibuichi, shakudō, and gold, standing on its left leg with its right leg raised, the feathers and other details very finely rendered, the original stand of black lacquer decorated in gold lacquer with a wide variety of mon (crests) of prominent Edo-period families and with similarly decorated shibuichifittings, an opening in the bird's back fitted with a silver liner and with a detachable lid pierced with three openings and signed and dated inside with chiseled characters Tsuchinoe-inu no haru Tomonobu kizamu 戊戌之春友信刻 (Carved by Tomonobu, spring 1898), with the original elaborately knotted and tasseled red silk cords.

Note: This exquisitely modeled figure of a hawk is one of a small number that were made by various artists in the years following the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. At the Exposition, Suzuki Chōkichi (see lots 1, 10, and 20) had exhibited a set of twelve lifelike hawks (now registered as Important Cultural Properties) that he had modeled and chiseled, with the help of 24 assistants, from a wide range of patinated copper alloys under the direction of the legendary Paris-based art dealer Hayashi Tadamasa (1853–1906) and with advice from a professional falconer. Like the present example, each of Suzuki's falcons came complete with its elaborate gold-and-black lacquered stand and silk restraining cord,

The twelve birds were widely admired for their meticulous verisimilitude, miraculous craftsmanship, and evocation of the splendors of a favorite pastime of the Japanese elite, features all admirably emulated in this version made only five years later by Tomonobu. Little is known of this artist beyond the facts that his family name might have been Aoki and he lived in Tokyo, but it is more than likely that he might have been directly trained by Chōkichi himself. 

A similar hawk by Sano Takachika (see preceding lot) is in the Khalili Collection. 

Reference: Haynes 2001, H 10017.0
Impey and Fairley 1995, cat. nos. 120
Wakayama 1972, p. 280; 青木氏。謙介という。東京市住。明治。(Aoki Tomonobu, called Kensuke, resident in Tokyo, Meiji)
Yokomizo 2006.

Lot 16. A Rare Large Bronze Charger Depicting Takashima Ōiko and Saeki Ujinaga,  室江吉兵衛 (1841-1903), A Rare Pair of Large Bronze Hōō Bird and Tortoise Okimono Ornaments, Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1880. Height 32 7/8 in. (83.4 cm). Estimate: US$ 60,000 - 80,000 (€ 51,000 - 69,000). Unsold. © Bonhams 2001-2018.

The tall dark-brown patinated bronze birds with complementary symmetry, one with its left wing extended and its right folded, the other with its right wing extended and its left folded, each standing on the back of a kame(tortoise), the feathers and other details minutely chiseled and inlaid in gold, silver, and copper, the edges of the turtles' carapaces inlaid in gold with a stylized cloud design, the eyes inlaid in gold, each signed underneath the turtle with chiseled characters Dainihonkoku Etchū Takaoka Muroe Kichibei tsukuru 大日本國　越中　高岡　室江吉兵衛造 (Made by Muroe Kichibei of Takaoka in Etchū [Province] in the Country of Great Japan).

Note: During the Edo period (1615–1868), the cities of Kanazawa in Kaga Province (present-day Ishikawa Prefecture) and Takaoka in Etchū Province (Toyama Prefecture) developed as major artistic metalworking centers thanks to the patronage of the Maeda samurai clan, aside from the ruling Tokugawa dynasty the wealthiest in all Japan. In the very early years of the Meiji era, government bureaucrats encouraged the development of a metalworking industry in both cities, in particular by commissioning work for display at the Vienna Weltausstelllung (World Exposition) held in 1873, and following the success of Japanese metalwork at that great global event Takaoka entrepreneurs set up private companies to capitalize on new opportunities for international trade. The city remains to this day a major center for the manufacture of ornamental bronze.

Like Suzuki Chōkichi in Tokyo (see lots 1, 10, 20), Muroe Kichibei and his colleagues in Takaoka and Kanazawa combined outstanding bronze-casting and bronze-finishing skills, honed by centuries creating Buddhist images, with the crafts of inlay and chiseling that had long been an essential component of sword decoration. This striking, boldly modeled pair of ornaments features two of the ancient Chinese mythical animals associated with the four cardinal directions: the hōō (conventionally translated into English as "phoenix") and the kame, a tortoise-like creature, here with what looks like a dragon's head. These creatures are depicted on some of the earliest masterpieces of Japanese Buddhist art and the hōō has long been a symbol of the emperor, in both China and Japan, making it a particularly apt iconographic choice during a period defined by the re-assertion of imperial power in the person of the Meiji Emperor.

Surviving works by this artist displayed in recent years at Takaoka City Museum of Art include another pair of okimono of similar size to the present lot, including two more ancient Chinese auspicious creatures—the kirin (unicorn) and dragon—in addition to the hōō and kame, and a bronze flower vase engraved and inlaid with a cat on a banana leaf. The museum also owns an inlaid and engraved flower vase by Muroe that is of similar form to the pair by Suzuki Chōkichi offered in the present catalogue (lot 20). 

Reference: Bunkachō n.d.
Meiji-ki Takaoka Dōki Chōkin Meisaku Hozonkai 明治期高岡銅器彫金名作保存会 (Association for the Preservation of Masterpieces of Meiji-Era Bronze Vessels and Metalwork from Takaoka), 1985, pp. 156-157
Takaoka-shi Bijutsukan 高岡市美術館 (Takaoka City Museum of Art) 2012.

 Lot 2. The Miyao 宮尾 Company of Yokohama, after Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Takashima Ōiko and Saeki Ujinaga, Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1890–1900. Diameter 26 5/8 in. (67.5 cm). Estimate: US$ 50,000 - 60,000 (€ 43,000 - 51,000). Unsold. © Bonhams 2001-2018.

Circular with a flat rim, the chocolate-brown patinated bronze body cast and inlaid in gold, silver, shakudō, shibuichi, and copper with a scene featuring Takashima Ōiko clenching the hand of Saeki Ujinaga under her upper arm watched by two children, the rim with gilt inlay of stylized cloud ornament, signed Miyao tsukuru 宮尾造 (Made by Miyao) with a gold-inlaid seal-style mark Miyao 宮尾.

Note: Founded by Miyao Eisuke, the Miyao Company of Yokohama specialized in the manufacture of bronze sculptures, embellished with gold and silver as well as patinated copper alloys, that represent generic samurai warriors as well as more precisely identifiable characters from Japanese myth and legend. In addition, the company also made a smaller number of pieces in other formats such as incense-burners, vases, and chargers.

The present lot stands out from the prolific production of the Miyao Company on account of its format, quality and above all its design. Only a few chargers by the company are known and this one is of exceptionally large size, with decoration of an unusually high quality not often seen in standard Miyao figures. Furthermore, it is a rare example of a piece of later Meiji-era metalwork with a design taken from the work of one of the most celebrated artists of the time, the painter and print-designer Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (see also lot 9). 

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Takashima Oiko no hanashi (The Strong Woman Oiko of Takashima), 1889.

Yoshitoshi's two-sheet woodblock print, published in April 1889, was likely inspired by an earlier version by Katsushika Hokusai that appears as a double-page spread in Volume Nine of his series of Manga (Random Drawings), published in 1819 (p. 14). It depicts a semi-historical incident involving the wrestler Saeki of Echizen Province and Ōiko, a young widow noted for her great strength. On his way to Kyoto to take part in a tournament, Saeki came across Ōiko at a stone bridge in Ōmi Province and attempted a sexual assault, but she gripped his hand under her upper arm so hard, despite the fact that she was also carrying a bucket of water on her head, that she was able to drag him back to her farmhouse. There she subjected him to a rigorous training regime, including compulsory consumption of nutritious but rock-hard rice, that enabled him to triumph at the tournament. 

The designer of the charger took several liberties with Yoshitoshi's composition—adding an extra bucket of water and two child onlookers, omitting the waterwheel, changing the costume design and making other additions that were a better fit with Miyao house style—but retained all the unresolved tension and girl-power swagger of the original print. 

Fine Japanese and Korean Art- September 12, 1PM 
Following the single-owner collection of metalwork, Bonhams will offer a large range of over 300 Japanese and Korean works of art dating from the 13th to the 20thcentury. The sale of consists of screens, ceramics, paintings, prints, lacquer and metalwork, Among the highlights are a pair of six-panel screens of Scenes from the Tale of Genji, Edo period (1615-1868), 17th century (estimate: $30,000-50,000). Additional highlights include a fine moriage cloisonné-enamel vase by Ando Jubei (1876-1953), Taisho era (1912-1926), circa 1920 (estimate: $25,000-35,000); Hotei with a treasure sack by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1786) Edo period (1651-1868), 18th century (estimate: $10,000-15,000); and a Korean granite figure of a boy attendant (Dongja), Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), 18th/19th century (estimate: $20,000-30,000).

Lot 1082. Anonymous, Scenes from Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji), Edo period (1615-1868), 17th century; a pair of six-panel screens painted in ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper with 12 scenes from the Heian-period novel, the clouds separating the scenes raised in relief, 62 x 139 1/4in (157.5 x 353.7cm). Estimate:US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€ 26,000 - 43,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Note: The Tale of Genji, Murasaki Shikubu's masterpiece written in the eleventh century is considered one of the greatest works of Japanese literature. The story follows the life of a fictional prince, the son of an emperor but with no official rank of his own. Illustrations based on the narrative have been produced countless times across various media starting soon after the novel was first written. Early examples were in smaller formats such as hand scrolls and albums, but by the fifteenth century, folding screens featuring illustrations from the narrative began to appear and gradually, the genre evolved until scenes were selected and painted specifically for folding screens. Typically, representations on folding screens feature vignettes from the various chapters arranged roughly in chronological order, starting in the top right of the right screen and continuing down each panel in turn from right to left. The current lot also follows this convention.

The right-most panels feature scenes from Kiritsubo (Chapter 1) in the top right corner with Wakamurasaki (Chapter 5) below. The middle panels are painted with scenes from Hatsune (Chapter 23) and Momiji no ga (Chapter 7). The left panels show scenes from Aoi (Chapter 9) and Utsusemi (Chapter 3). 

The left screen is painted on the right panels with scenes from Miotsukushi (Chapter 14) and Suzumushi (Chapter 38). The central panels feature a different episode from Momoji no ga (Chapter 7). The left panels feature Tamakazura, and the falconers from Miyuki (Chapter 29) in the lower left.

Lot 1218. Ando Jubei (1876-1953), A fine moriage cloisonné-enamel vase, Taisho era (1912-1926), circa 1920; 12 1/8in (30.6cm) high. Estimate:US$ 25,000 - 35,000 (€ 21,000 - 30,000). Sold for US$ 35,000 (€ 29,942). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Of meiping form and decorated in standard and musen ("wireless") cloisonné techniques in silver wire and brightly colored enamels with a persimmon tree with leafy branches heavy with fruit, the persimmons, leaves, and branches raised in relief, all silhouetted against a pale blue background, signed in an oval cartouche Ando sei in silver wires and red enamel on a brown enamel ground, the rim stamped Jungin (Pure silver); with an original fitted hardwood stand and original wood padded storage box with a hinged cover.

Lot 1070. Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1786), Hotei with a treasure sack, Edo period (1651-1868), 18th century. Hanging scroll, ink on paper with Hotei holding his open treasure sack on which are inscribed the characters Fukuju kai muryo (A limitless ocean of good fortune and happiness), sealed Kokantei, Hakuin and Ekaku, 10 1/8 x 12 3/4in (25.7 x32.4cm). Estimate US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€ 8,600 - 13,000). Unsold. © Bonhams 2001-2018

With a wood storage box

Note: The great priest and painter Hakuin probably depicted Daruma, the Indian founder of Zen Buddhism, more often than any other figure subject, but he was perhaps even fonder of Hotei ("Cloth Bag"), the jolly wandering Chinese monk who, in Hakuin's art, stands in part for Hakuin himself and in part for Everyman, with all his foibles and virtues. Here he is shown seated, mostly obscured by his immense treasure sack, which he holds wide open, clenching one edge between his teeth. On the bag is written the phrase Fukuju kai muryo, an expression meaning limitless happiness, and a reference to Hotei's open treasure bag endlessly dispenses good fortune in the form of gifts.

For other examples of this subject by Hakuin, see Yoshizawa Katsuhiro (Hanazono Daigaku Kokusai Zengaku Kenkyūjo), Hakuin Zenga bokuseki (1050 Paintings and Calligraphies by the Zen Master Hakuin), 3 volumes, Tokyo, Nigensha, 2009, cat. nos. 310-312.

Lot 1297. A granite figure of a boy attendant (Dongja), Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), 18th-19th century; 22 3/8in (57cm) high. Estimate US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€ 8,600 - 13,000). Sold for US$ 22,500 (€ 19,248). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Standing in a long Chinese-inspired court costume and holding "the Peach of Immortality" in both hands to the front, his youthful face with a gentle expression and wearing the traditional plaited coiffure of two chignons.