Recent Acquisitions of Asian Art

P E T E R F I N E

A N T I Q U E

A R M S ,

F I N E R A R M O U R

&

R E L AT E D

O B J E C T S

R ECEN T ACQUISI T I O NS O F A SIAN AR T

R ECEN T ACQ UISI T I O NS O F A SIAN AR T Due to COVID-19 rules visitors will be restricted to six people at any one time

38–39 Duke Street,

22 October – 7 November 2020

St James’s, London, SW1Y 6DF

Monday – Friday 10 am – 6 pm

+44 (0)20 7839 5666 gallery@peterfiner.com

Saturday – Sunday 11 am – 5 pm www.peterfiner.com

www.asianartinlondon.com

Details from items 7, 15, & 5 (left to right)

1

A Large Cane Shield 15th century or earlier Tibet 84 cm / 33 in PROVENANCE

Jeremy Pine, in 1977 Private collection, Madrid

2

A Rare Medieval Tibetan Quiver 15th – 16th century Tibet. Leather, lacquer, brass 81 cm / 31.9 in × 24 cm / 9.5 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Hong Kong Private collection, Holland

This is one of a small group of surviving medieval quivers from Tibet, of which other examples can be seen in the Royal Armouries, Leeds (no. xxvib.141) and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no. 2001.37, 2014.71). The same decoration is found on contemporary bow cases and leather arm defences (as seen on Royal Armouries nos. xxvib.145 and xxvia.279).

3

A Rare Japanese Horse Bit (Kutsuwa) Muromachi Period, 16th century Japan. Iron.

23 cm / 9 in Ă— 25 cm / 10 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, UK

This horse bit and rein guard is finely signed and inscribed on the inner side Myochin Yoshimitsu and Echizen (No) Kuni Ju, meaning 'who was living in the Echizen region.'

4

A Spearhead (Jumonji Yari) Late 16th century Japan. Steel 58 cm / 22.75 in × 21 cm / 8.25 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

The tang of this spearhead is signed Kanabō Hyōenojo Masatsugu.

Two generations of Masatsugu headed the Kanabō school in Nara, Yamato province, in the Tenbun and Tensho eras (1532–91). The dated works of these brothers range from 1573–92, suggesting that all these belong to the second generation. A third generation is known to have worked in the Keicho era, but few of these works survive. The school descended from the Yamato Tegai school of the late Kamakura, which moved to Nara about 1555. They exclusively worked for the Buddhist military during the Warring States period.

Masatsugu served in the Hōzōin temple, a branch of Kofukuji temple in Nara. He was well-known as the maker of jumonji yari for the master In’ei who established the Hōzōin temple's spear fighting school for Buddhist warriors in the later sixteenth century. Kanabō school swords were highly prized in battle for their strength and cutting ability. A nagamaki by the same maker, with its Muromachi period mounting, is associated by repute with the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and thought originally to have been preserved in the collection of his mausoleum, the Nikko Toshogu shrine, while others with the same signature as our yari was exhibited in the Swords of the Samurai exhibition at the British Museum.

5

A Spearhead and Scabbard (Su Yari) 17th century Japan. Steel, wood, lacquer and gold Length of Spear: 47 cm / 18.5 in Length of Scabbard: 35 cm / 13.75 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, USA

The spearhead is ryu shinogi, straight sided and of diamond section with two grooves on one side and one on the other. It has a long tang with two peg holes (mekugi ana), signed Heianjō ju Ishidō. Heianjō ju Ishidō Suketoshi, the first-generation smith of his line was originally from Kishu. He moved to Kyoto early in the Edō period, recorded 1624–44. There is a comparable sankakuzukuri yari in the Victoria & Albert Museum by the same smith (no. M 95-1919). The scabbard is a superb example of late Edō period craftsmanship, of wood covered in red lacquer with a spider’s web, wasp and cicada in gold. It is signed Koenshi Osai tsukuru kore (Koenshi Osai made this) with seal (kao). Osai was the second generation of a family of Edō lacquer makers, working in Nihonbashi in the first half of the nineteenth century. A tobacco pouch, pipe case and scabbard signed by him is preserved in the Victoria & Albert Museum (no. W.331-1916).

6

A Punch Dagger (Katar) 17th century India, Tamil Nadu. Iron and gilding 42 cm / 16.5 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

The group of katars, originally from the Thanjavur arsenal, are partly preserved in the National Museum, Chennai, and partly dispersed among museums and private collections abroad. One major group was in the Oldman collection, London, which is now largely in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. An archive photograph from the Oldman collection illustrates a katar with a near identical hilt to ours. Similar weapons in the Government Museum, Chennai, include nos. 2112 and 2113, while a later version of this hilt type can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum (no.

35.25.696). The manufacture of these weapons flourished under the patronage of the Nayak rulers of Thanjavur, who became independent after the fall of Vijayanagar in 1572. They brought a new impetus to the architecture, sculpture and decorative arts of Tamil Nadu. This example is among the finest decorated katars of the group. The blade is Indian, rather than the more usual cutdown European broadsword.

7

A Tibetan Ceremonial Staff Finial 17th century Tibet. Iron, silver and gilding 28 cm / 11 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

The flaming sword is the weapon characteristic of the bodhisattva Manjusri, symbolising the transcendent wisdom that cuts down ignorance and duality. It is usually fitted with a basket hilt or a vajra at the pommel, but here is presented a staff finial intended to be mounted with a sandalwood haft fitted with a vajra or stylised thunderbolt terminal. It is engraved with an inventory number '35'.

8

A Spearhead (Patisthānaya) 18th century Sri Lanka, Kandy. Steel, brass and silver 44.5 cm / 17.5 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

Winged spears were in use in Sri Lanka before the arrival of European colonists, but their form became modified, characteristically with the addition of wings and often a crossbar like that of the European spontoon. The name is most likely influenced by the partizaan of the Dutch VOC. These staff weapons were fitted with wooden hafts lacquered with geometrical designs in red, yellow and black, and often retain the wavy blades of their pre-colonial ancestors. In the kingdom of Kandy such weapons were presented as symbols of rank by the late 17th century and can be seen borne by retainers in numerous royal portrait photographs of the late 19th century. They were produced in the royal workshops where this form of Mātale lacquer work was carried out in the Runawada Mandape, the armoury of the king’s ‘four workshops’.

Comparable examples are in the Victoria & Albert Museum (nos.

IS.201 and 203-1897, IM.87 and 91-1920), and in the British Museum (no. As1898,0703,217, among a group of several spears from the Hugh Nevill collection,) and three of the weapons in the spear rack presented to Governor-General J. C. Baud in 1834 in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (no. NG-BR-554d, e and f). For a Dutch prototype, compare Metropolitan Museum of Art no. 32.75.208, dated 1783, with a very similar moulded crossbar.

9

A Tibetan Ferrule from a Ceremonial Spear 18th century Tibet. Iron and gold 43.5 cm / 17.1 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, UK

Ceremonial spears from Tibet are characterised by their lavish ornament, in contrast with the plain nature of fighting spears, which historically played a significant role in Tibetan warfare, mainly as cavalry weapons. This example is finely decorated. Its large central knop is closely comparable to the counterweighted butt spikes of north Indian cavalry lances, and is unusual among Tibetan spears. For the decorative style, this spear may be compared to the head of a spear in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (no. 1999.256).

10

A North African Toe-Lock Gun Mounted in Silver and Coral Dated 1182 AH (1768/69) Algiers. Steel, gold, silver, red coral, wood and leather 174 cm / 68.5 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

A closely comparable example is the silver-mounted gun set with coral which was presented to the Prince Regent, later George IV, by the Bey of Algiers in February 1811; this is now in the collection of H.M. The Queen at Windsor Castle (inv. no. CH2075).

11

A Fine Knife (Biรงaq) Late 18th century Ottoman, Turkey Iron, gilding nephrite, rubies, turquoise, pearls, wood and silver 30 cm / 12 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

Utility knives of this type were carried widely by members of the Ottoman nobility. Hardstone hilts, of jade or agate were often fitted to them, reminding their owners of the central Asian heritage. Two similar knives in the Stefanis Foundation, Athens, (nos. 320 and 362), the latter dated 1768/69, and another in the Wallace Collection, London (no. OA 1971) compare to the present biรงaq.

12

A Fine Knife (Biçaq) Late 18th century Ottoman, Turkey Iron, gilding, nephrite, garnet, wood, silver and textile 48 cm / 18.75 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

Utility knives of this type were carried widely by members of the Ottoman nobility. There are two comparable knives in the Stefanis Foundation, Athens, (nos. 320 and 362), the latter dated 1768/69, and another in the Wallace Collection, London (no. OA 1971) compare to the present biçaq.

The blade of the present knife is straight and single edged, of watered steel or Wootz, decorated in gold koftgari at the forte with floral scrolls, and in a medallion inscribed mashallah, ‘by the will of God’.

13

A Fine Himalayan Dagger 18th – 19th century Bhutan, Nepal, or Tibet. Gilt metal, wood, hardstone beads, gilt-brass, silver and coloured hardstones.

45 cm / 17.5 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

14

A Dagger (Khanjar) Late 18th – early 19th century Persia or Syria. ron, gilding, silver, copper alloy and enamel 39 cm / 15.25 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Canada

This dagger is typical of the highly ornate enamel works fashionable in the Qajar court. It has a plain, double edged blade of watered Wootz steel, and is fitted with a matching hilt and scabbard of copper alloy covered in enamel, with a design of pink flowers with, blue, green and yellow foliage on a white ground. The fashion for this style of enamel decoration probably came from Mughal India, where several imperial quality daggers with white-ground enamel hilts survive. A closely comparable Qajar dagger is in the British Museum, from the Henderson bequest (no. 1878.1230.903), which includes another similar example with blue ground enamel (1878.1230.905). Another of the series, with green ground enamel, is preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no.

36.25.684), and the scabbard is signed by its maker, Mahmud, who may be responsible for all this group. Similar enamel decoration is found on the scabbard of a dagger thought to have been presented by Fath ‘Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797–1834) to Captain (later General) John Malcolm of the East India Company, who concluded the company’s first treaty with Persia in 1801, worked as private secretary to the Governor General Lord Mornington, and was a lifelong friend of his younger brother, the Duke of Wellington; it is the Victoria & Albert Museum's no. 1602-1888.

15

An Indian Dagger (Khanjar) Early 19th century India, possibly Jaipur. Steel, gold, enamel, cabochon garnets, emeralds, diamonds, wood and textile 34 cm / 13.4 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, USA

The code for fashionable dress of the nobility in northern India under the Mughals and their successor states included the wearing of highly decorated daggers which reflected the wearer’s social standing and prestige. Animal headed daggers became popular early in the 17th century and were reserved for nobles of the highest rank. A close study of Mughal miniature paintings reveals the restriction of these animal-headed daggers to a small number of princes and senior dignitaries. The most popular medium for the hilts of these daggers was jade, either nephrite or, later, jadeite, imported from Central Asia, reflecting the Timurid heritage of the Mughal court. Later more diverse materials became popular, and this dagger includes champlevé enamelling and stone incrustation in the kundun technique. Enamelling was introduced to India in the 17th century from Europe, and spread rapidly across the sub-continent. The enamelled floral motifs and colour palette used on this piece suggest the centre of Jaipur for its manufacture, and it can be related to a small number of quite similarly decorated pieces with animal hilts, including a ram’s head dagger in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no.

1970.180) and another with a tiger’s head in the Art Institute of Chicago (no. 2014.1197).

16

A Japanese Samurai Armour for a Daimyo Edo Period (1603 – 1868) Japan, helmet late Momoyama–early Edō period, armour late Edō period. Iron, copper, gilding, lacquer, shakudo, silk and brocade 148 cm / 58.3 in × 84 cm / 33.1 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Japan Private collection, Belgium

The armour, made for a noble, or daimyo, towards the end of the Edō period, incorporates an important early helmet skull (hoshi kabuto) signed Jōshū ju Saotome Ietada by one of the most important early masters of the Saotome family, working in modern Hitachi province. The quality of the armour and the family mon of the Inaba family indicates that it was assembled in the late Edō period for an important daimyo, possibly Inaba Masami (1815–79), head of the Tateyama Inaba clan and admiral of the Tokugawa navy.

The sixty plate helmet, or hoshi kabuto, is signed Jōshū ju Saotome Ietada is fitted with a four-lame neckguard (shikoro) with turn-backs (fukigaeshi) at the front of the upper lame, and an ornamental support in gilt copper and shakudo for the ornamental horns (kuwagata). The armour is made in the archaic style popular at the end of the Edō period, with a black lacquered face defence (mempo), large shoulder defences (ō-sode), arm defences (kote) with gilded iron plates and a guard of black lacquered mail over brocade, small thigh defences (kusazuri), lower thigh defences (haidate) and shin defences (suneate), all laced in orange silk, the plates formed of true scales (hon-kozane) lacquered in gold.

Stencilled doeskin covers the solid plates in medieval style. A folded three character mon (orishimani sanmon ji) of the Inaba family features on the turn-backs, crest holder and on all the decorative fittings (kanemono). The cord ties and decorative agemaki bows are of purple and white silk. It is displayed on a traditional armour stand and armour box.

17

A Dagger (Kaiken Tantō) Meiji Period (the blade 16th century, the mounts late 19th century) Japan. Iron, silver, copper alloy, wood and lacquer 30 cm / 12 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Europe

The blade is shobu zukuri, with a medial ridge running the full length, engraved with the Sanskrit character or bonji for the Buddhist guardian divinity Fudō Myō-ō, ko-itame hada and gunome hamon of ko-nie becoming suguba along the mune, signed Bishū Osafune Harumitsu. It is fitted with a silver habaki or collar. The mounting is in aikuchi (guardless) style, the hilt (tsuka) covered in shibuichi (copper silver alloy) with a central embossed and chased roundel of a cherry tree in bloom, ribbed gilded bands above and below, a mekugi of shibuichi. The terminals are formed as cherry blossom, and a kashira chased with cherry blossom.

The scabbard (saya) is of wood, lacquered in nashiji style with a cherry blossom diaper in gold, with fittings for the mouth and chape (koiguchi and kojiri) of shibuichi, decorated to match the hilt. A pair of chopsticks (waribashi), also of shibuichi with cherry blossom, fit in a pocket in the mouth of the scabbard.

18

A Japanese Military Hat Edo period, 19th century Japan. Wood, lacquer and gold 43.5 cm / 17.1 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Belgium

The jingasa, or 'camp hat,' was a type worn by Japanese warriors when traveling or encamped.

19

A Jingasa 19th century Japan. Wood, gold, lacquer and silk 42.5 cm / 16.7 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Belgium

20

A Punch Dagger (Katar) 19th century India, possibly Bundi. Steel, gilding wood and velvet 49 cm / 19.25 in Ă— 9 cm / 3.5 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, France

The Hindu punch dagger was adopted as a status symbol by the Mughals soon after the formation of their empire in India in the 16th century and can be seen tucked into the sash in the portraits of many Mughal noblemen. Though exquisitely decorated, the katars of north India were practical weapons as well, and many were made with heavy, armour-piercing points intended to pierce through mail armour. In general these reinforced points are indicative of earlier weapons, but this example is one of a group made in a revival of the Mughal style of the 17th century, represented by the katar retaining its original scabbard in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no. 36.25.973). Most of the early daggers are formed of a single piece of steel while the later ones are more often of composite construction, like the present example. The group, including two in the Majaraja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, Jaipur, are particularly close to the present example, and several others chiselled with hunting scenes, such as Royal Armouries no. xxvid.85 and Royal Collection nos. 38193 and 37433.

21

A Kris (Tajong) 19th century Thailand. Iron, steel, gold, brass and wood 56 cm / 22 in × 17 cm / 6.75 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, USA

The blade (bilah) has nine lok or waves, the pamor or pattern-welded pattern formed by the composite meteoric iron and steel of the blade running in wavy lines following the shape of the blade. At the top is a ganja, also of patternwelded iron, with a serrated ri-pandan at the edge, below which at the back is carved the ‘face’ or gandik with its elephant-trunk like protrusion, the belalai gajah. The hilt (hulu) is of hardwood with suasa (a gold and copper mixture, similar to 9ct gold), carved in the form of a stylised ‘bird head (pekaka)’ with the long beak characteristic of the east coast of the Malay peninsula, the PattaniKelantan region, where pre-Islamic worship of the Hindu god Vishnu was prevalent. This form of hilt is thought originally to have represented the squatting figure of Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, in the shadow puppet plays (wayang), and to have become increasingly stylised and zoomorphic following the large-scale conversion to Islam. The scabbard (warangka or sarong) is of kemuning honey hardwood, the boat-shaped guard (sampir) having the curled terminals of the warangka ladrang form characteristic of Pattani scabbards.

Comparable is British Museum no. As1928-124 from Pattani town, of very similar scabbard.

22

A Miniature Dagger, Tantō Meiji Period, late 19th century Japan. Steel, silver and rayskin 21.8 cm / 8.6 in PROVENANCE

Private collection, Japan Private collection, Belgium

Miniature weapons were popular as gifts for the 'Boy’s Festival' or tango no sekku, celebrated by families blessed with sons on 5 May (since 1948 renamed Children’s Day, kodomo no hi), in which gifts of such model armours together with bows and swords and a variety of banners and standards, including carp streamers called koinobori were displayed as symbols of manliness.

This festival, first recorded in the 9th century, increased in popularity through the Edō period, and such models continue to be made and given to the present day. The banning of the traditional wearing of swords by the samurai, the haitōrei of 1871– 6 coincided with the growing popularity of Japanese crafts in the West, so craft pieces such as this miniature continued to be made into the 20th century for export.

FINE ANTIQUE ARMS, ARMOUR & RELATED OBJECTS 38–39 Duke Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 6DF +44 (0)20 7839 5666 ∙ gallery@peterfiner.com www.peterfiner.com