Dr. Horiuchi at Christie’s, Tokyo
Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi earned his doctorate from Jikei University’s School of Medicine, Japan’s oldest private medical university, where he pursued gastroenterology with a specialization in gastrointestinal endoscopy. He holds an additional Master of Medical Administration from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University’s School of Medical Administration. As a doctor, he has worked toward the integration of AI into endoscopic medicine and treatment methods.
Descended from a long line of physicians, Dr. Horiuchi’s grandfather was a surgeon who maintained close relationships with doctors and politicians in foreign countries like the US and China and served as a local guide and friend to the family of Michael Joseph Mansfield, mentor to US President Joe Biden and former Majority Leader of the United States Senate, during his tenure as American ambassador to Japan. Dr. Horiuchi began work as a hospital CEO while still in his thirties. Currently, he runs Japan’s Advanced Medical Council, an organization he founded to further promote the integration of scientific inquiry and medical treatment that provides support to cutting-edge medical researchers and their patients.
Dr. Horiuchi and the late Mr. Kiryu Kitayama at Kitayama Fine Arts, Tokyo.
Dr. Horiuchi’s family has collected artwork for generations. He himself has long loved reading through auction house publications, a pastime that started with Christie’s catalogues in his teen years. From his late twenties, he began to pursue the acquisition of Chinese works of art in earnest—exactly when the Chinese art market was itself experiencing a surge of renewed interest. However, even when the competition was fierce, he frequented Tokyo’s most famed antiques dealers and put sincere effort into applying his own knowledge to painstakingly select works for acquisition. Coincidentally, his alma mater, his place of employment, and own residence are all close to the Tokyo Art Club, and as a result, he has served as a physician and medical consultant for over thirty auction and art industry professionals, supporting their health much as they have supported him in his connoisseurship. His connection to the auction world thus far surpasses that of a standard business relationship, with each party benefitting in their own way. To honor this partnership, a portion of the proceeds from this sale of high-quality works will be donated to fund gastrointestinal cancer research.
Lot 1002. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A sancai-glazed pottery amphora, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907); 31.2 cm high, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 15,000 – USD 25,000 © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Mathias. Komor, New York, 30 April 1948.
Georges de Batz, New York, before 1953.
The Georges de Batz Collection of Chinese Ceramics; Christie's New York, 30 November 1983, lot 303.
Property from the Collection of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal; Sotheby's New York, 16 September 2008, lot 234.
Kusaka Shogado, Tokyo.
Literature: Georges de Batz, Chinese Ceramics and European Drawings, Boston, 1953, p. 45, pl. 23.
Exhibited: Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Chinese Ceramics and European Drawings from the Georges de Batz Collection, 1953.
On loan: Fukuoka, Kyushu National Museum, August 2019-June 2023.
Lot 1006. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Jian 'hare's fur' tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 12.6 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Kusaka Shogado, Tokyo.
Lot 1007. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A painted Cizhou tiger-form pillow, Jin dynasty (1115-1234); 34 cm long, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Hayashibara Museum Collection.
Literature: 100 Ceramic Pillows: formerly the Hayashibara Museum collection, Tokyo, 2012, no. 33.
Exhibited: Tokyo, 100 Ceramic Pillows: formerly the Hayashibara Museum collection, 2012.
Lot 1008. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Cizhou sgraffiato pear-shaped vase, yuhuchunping, Jin-Yuan dynasty (1115-1368); 28 cm high, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 7,000 – USD 9,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Kusaka Shogado, Tokyo.
Lot 1008. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Jun dish, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (AD 960-1234) ; 14.5 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Kawai Shogado, Beijing, prior to 1940s.
Kusaka Shogado, Tokyo.
Lot 1010. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Jun 'bubble' bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (AD 960-1234); 9.3 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 40,000 – USD 60,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Mayuyama, Tokyo.
Literature: Mayuyama, Song Ceramics, Tokyo, 2014, no. 57.
Exhibited: Tokyo, Mayuyama, Song Ceramics, 16-25 October 2014.
Lot 1011. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A small carved Ding 'lotus' bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (AD 960-1234); 9.3 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 5,000 – USD 7,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Lot 1012. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Jian 'hare's fur' tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 9.3 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 5,000 – USD 7,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Lot 1013. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A slip-decorated Yaozhou celadon bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (AD 960-1234); 12 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 3,000 – USD 5,000. © Christie's 2023
Lot 1014. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A very rare blackish-brown-glazed 'nei fu' bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (AD 960-1234); 12.4 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000. © Christie's 2023
The interior is carved with two characters, nei fu (inner palace).
Provenance: Mathias Komor, New York.
Myron S. (1906-1992) and Pauline Baerwald (1910-2000) Falk Collection, New York.
The Falk Collection II: Chinese and Japanese Works of Art; Christie's New York, 15 October 2001, lot 445.
Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Lot 1015. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Jun 'bubble' bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (AD 960-1234); 8.8 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Sir Herbert Ingram (1875-1958) Collection, according to label on box.
Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Lot 1016. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A small Longquan celadon conical bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 10.7 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance:Mayuyama, Tokyo.
Literature: Mayuyama, Song Ceramics, Tokyo, 2014, no. 55.
Nihon Toji Kyokai (Japan Ceramics Society), Tosetsu: A Monthly Journal Published by the Japan Ceramic Society, vol. 773, 2017, p. 49.
Exhibited: Tokyo, Mayuyama, Song Ceramics, 16-25 October 2014.
On loan: Fukuoka, Kyushu National Museum, August 2019-June 2023.
Lot 1017. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A small Longquan celadon 'Twin fish' dish, Southern Song-Yuan dynasty (1127-1368); 13.2 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 10,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Collection of Dr. Onodera Naosuke (1883-1968, Director of Medical College in Kyushu Imperial University), by repute.
Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Exhibited: On loan: Fukuoka, Kyushu National Museum, August 2019-June 2023.
Note: Paired fish symbolize fertility and connubial bliss, and they are also one of the Eight Buddhist symbols. Dishes of this type, known as 'twin fish' dishes, were popular products of the Longquan kilns during the late Southern Song to early Ming period. Similar dishes have been recovered from Southern Song kilns in the Longquan region, such as the bowl unearthed at Jincun, illustrated in Longquan Qingci Yanjiu, Beijing, 1989, pl. 36:3. Longquan molded fish dishes of this type were recovered from the cargo of a trading vessel that sank off the coast of Sinan, South Korea, in the 1320s, and were included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off the Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul, 1977, pl. 28. Other examples are in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in Illustrated Catalogue of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Lung-chu'än Ware, Ko Ware and other Wares, Taipei, 1974, pl. 26, and in the Percival David Foundation, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares, rev. ed., London, 1997, p. 27, no. 265.
Lot 1018. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Longquan celadon carved 'lotus' bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 15 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Literature: Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II - Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', Tokyo, 2016, no. 99.
Exhibited: Tokyo, Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II – Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', 2016.
Lot 1019. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Longquan celadon pear-shaped vase, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 15.1 cm high, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 3,000 – USD 5,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private Collection, Japan.
Exhibited: On loan: Fukuoka, Kyushu National Museum, August 2019-June 2023.
Note: Two similar Longquan celadon vases of comparable size are illustrated by B. Gyllensvärd in Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, p. 50, nos. 96 and 97. See, also the Longquan celadon vase of this shape and size sold at Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 1011, and another example sold at Christie’s New York, 18 September 2015, lot 2324.
Lot 1020. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Qingbai floriform dish, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 13.8 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Lot 1021. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A carved Qingbai 'boys' bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 18.3 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Lot 1022. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Longquan celadon stem cup, Yuan-Early Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century; 11.5cm high, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Kusaka Shogado, Tokyo.
Note: The flared stem of this stem cup is divided into four sections by horizontal ribs in imitation of a stalk of bamboo. As noted by J. Harrison-Hall in Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 463, “bamboo is assigned Confucian qualities which are much admired in a man – it does not break under pressure, and is constant, never losing its colour even in adverse conditions.” Harrison-Hall illustrates, pp. 463-64, nos. 16:2-16:5, four Longquan celadon stem cups with similar “bamboo” stems, all of which are dated Yuan to Ming dynasty, c. 1300-1400.
Lot 1023. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A rare small barrel-form wucai 'dragon' jar, Chongzhen period (1628-1644); 7.6 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Lot 1024. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A large famille verte bowl, Shunzhi period (1644-1661); 21.5 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Lot 1025. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A blue and white circular 'Three friends of winter' basin, Shunzhi period (1644-1661); 21.7 cm diam., two lacquer covers, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 15,000 – USD 25,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Literature: Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II - Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', Tokyo, 2016, no. 124.
Exhibited: Tokyo, Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II – Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', 2016.
Lot 1026. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A blue and white 'Auspicious flowers and birds' jardinière, Kangxi-Yongzheng period (1662-1735); 22 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 10,000 – USD 15,000. © Christie's 2023
The base bears a faint inscription in ink which may be translated 'Acquired in Taiping county on the 4th month in the second year of Yongzheng [1724]'.
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Literature: Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II - Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', Tokyo, 2016, no. 140.
Exhibited: Tokyo, Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II – Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', 2016.
Lot 1026. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A small doucai 'dragon' cup, Yongzheng period (1723-1735); 9.1 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 18,000 – USD 25,000. © Christie's 2023
The base is inscribed with an apocryphal Chenghua mark.
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Note: The dragon, long, and the phoenix, fenghuang, were explicit emblems of the emperor and empress, respectively, since the Han dynasty. When the dragon and phoenix are combined in a single design, they evoke an image of imperial power and strength.
Lot 1028. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A doucai 'Mandarin duck and lotus pond' dish, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 16.2 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 5,000 – USD 7,000. © Christie's 2023
The base is inscribed with an apocryphal Chenghua mark.
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Note: Pairs of ducks are associated with fidelity and harmony. In Designs as Signs: Decoration and Chinese Ceramics, Percival David Foundation, London, 2001, Stacey Pierson explains that pairs of mandarin ducks, yuan yang, represent marital fidelity or harmony as they are said to mate for life. In association with lotus, which is homophonous with the word for harmony (he), they can represent a wish for sons.
Lot 1029. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A doucai 'Egret and lotus pond' barrel-form jar, Kangxi-Yongzheng period (1662-1735); 16.5 cm high, lacquer cover, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 20,000 – USD 30,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Literature: Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II – Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', Tokyo, 2016, no. 138.
Exhibited: Tokyo, Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II – Special Exhibition 'Strolled for Last Ten Years', 2016.
Lot 1030. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. An underglaze blue-decorated yellow-glazed 'Palace' bowl, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 15.8 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000. © Christie's 2023
The base has an apocryphal Chenghua mark.
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Note: The design of this bowl draws inspiration from prototypes made during the Chenghua period. These bowls, commonly referred to as 'palace' bowls, are known for their exceptional potting, exquisite craftsmanship, and sophisticated decoration. They featured elaborate floral scrolls as the primary decorative element. The bowls are adorned with various flowers, including the mallow flowers showcased on the present bowl, along with daylilies and lotus. A Chenghua-marked 'palace' bowl with a similar pattern can be found in J. Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2000, p. 164, no. 6.4. Later in the Ming dynasty and throughout the Qing dynasty, potters aimed to replicate the exceptional potting and quality of painting exhibited in the early-Ming 'palace' bowls, as demonstrated in this successful Kangxi-period version.
Lot 1031. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A finely decorated blue and white cylindrical brush pot, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 13.5 cm high, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 30,000 – USD 50,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Kunryudo, Tokyo.
Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Lot 1032. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A small flambé-glazed censer, 18th century; 11.3 cm across, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 7,000 – USD 9,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Lot 1033. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A teadust-glazed meiping, 18th century; 22.5 cm high, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Lot 1033. From the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A small copper-red-glazed cup, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735); 7.4 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 10,000 – USD 15,000. © Christie's 2023
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 21 sept. & 22 sept. 2023
