JAPANESE WORKS OF ART

JAPANESEWORKS OF ART

10th November 2020

DEPARTMENT ALEXANDRA AGUILAR +44 (0) 1722 424583 aa@woolleyandwallis.co.uk

SARAH LOPEZ-FERREIRO +44 (0) 1722 424591 slf@woolleyandwallis.co.uk

Now accepting consignments for the 18th May 2021 auction.

Closing date for entries 26th February 2021.

VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT Friday 6th November Saturday 7th November Monday 9th November

OPPOSITE. A rare Japanese Nagasaki School scroll painting with Dutchmen and courtesans, c.1800, 97cm x 57cm Provenance: from a deceased estate, Hampshire. Purchased from Sydney L Moss Ltd, 10th February 2003 Estimate £6,000 – 10,000

1. A rare Japanese Kakiemon model of a flaming turtle, c.1660-1680, 18.5cm Estimate £1,000 – 2,000

2. Detail of a large vase by Makuzu Kozan (1842-1916), c.1900, 31.5cm Provenance: from a deceased estate, Hampshire Estimate £3,000 – 5,000

THE DUTCHMEN AND THE PROSTITUTES OF NAGASAKI The Japanese sale on 10th November 2020 includes this unusual scroll painting (opposite) which gives a rare glimpse into the life of Westerners in Edo-period Japan. From the mid-16th century until the arrival of the Black Ships in 1853-1854, Dutch sailors were only allowed to access the Japanese market through the artificial island of Dejima in Nagasaki. Restrictions were tight and the merchants were only allowed to leave the islet by special permission. Records show that only a very small number of Dutch women ever visited the island, as they were prohibited from entering it. A signpost on the bridge linking Dejima to the shore read that it was forbidden ‘for women to enter except for prostitutes’ and so this painting probably depicts two of these courtesans. The prostitutes were provided by the Japanese government; they were more expensive and high-class than the ones visiting Chinese merchants and were given the name Oranda-yuki, ‘Those going to the Hollanders’. In 1722, Japanese courtesans visited the Dutchmen 270 times and their popularity seemed to grow with time as 15 years later, they saw them 620 times. These are impressive numbers considering there were only 12 to 20 Dutchmen living on the island at one time.

This rare Japanese painting depicts one of the only contacts Dutchmen would have had with inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. The poem above however reflects the fleeting nature of their affairs:

‘The moon frequents nightly The surface of the pond, But does not leave behind Its heart, nor its shadow.’

THE FLAMING TURTLE OF IMMORTALITY The Kakiemon turtle (fig.1) is another highlight of the sale. Only four others are known in the world: two are in private collections, one is at Burghley House, Lincolnshire and the last is in the Kassel Collection in Germany. These turtles are minogame, legendary creatures symbolising immortality. The long seaweed trailing from the carapace conveys this idea of longevity but was mistaken for flames when they first arrived in Europe in the 17th century, hence the name of ‘flaming turtle’. These Kakiemon models are often depicted with an Immortal riding atop the carapace. They are of a type that would have been collected by monarchs all over Europe, from William and Mary of England to Augustus the Strong of Saxony.

The 200-lot sale features other important pieces including an impressive articulated iron model of a snake signed Myochin and a Komai-style three-tiered pagoda (both illustrated on the inside front cover), a selection of good Makuzu Kozan vases (fig.2) and many other treasures.