1st Dec, 2023 13:00
Fine Japanese Art
147
Ɏ SHIMAMURA SHUNMEI: A SUPERB TOKYO-SCHOOL IVORY OKIMONO OF A BIJIN WITH HER PEKINGESE
Sold for €6,500
including Buyer's Premium
By Shimamura Shunmei (Toshiaki, 1853-1896), signed Shunmei saku
Japan, Tokyo, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)
The beauty kneeling, one knee over the other as she supports her Pekingese dog who is trying to wriggle free. The dog with big round eyes looking straight ahead as it awkwardly tries to find its feet on the ground, one paw supported on the bijin’s hand as the other is raised to wave. The elegantly dressed woman clad in a formal kimono decorated with elaborate geometric motifs and foliate designs, the robe pools at the base as she sits, and the sleeves appearing to sway in the wind. The face with a sincere expression and gently parted lips, with the hair neatly coiffed and secured by bows, ornate pins, and a comb. Signed underneath SHUNMEI (Toshiaki) with a square seal saku [made by].
HEIGHT 16.7 cm
Condition: Very good condition with typical natural age cracks. Minor chipping to the edge of the dog's tail and to the hairpins of the lady.
Provenance: From a private collection in Belgium, published in the commissioned private catalogue 'The Nibajama collection' no. 128.
Born as the second son of Shimamura Shunjun (Toshikane), who worked for the Imperial Court in Asakusa, Edo, Shimamura Shunmei (Toshiaki, 1853-1896) had already inherited the skills of a great wood carver and by the age of sixteen he had already produced 16 rakan for the Kaiko temple in Ryogoku, Tokyo.
He later changed his career to ivory carving due to the flourishing export market and is recorded in the Tokyo zoge chokoku bijutsu hyo (A Table of the Art of Ivory Carvings in Tokyo), printed in Meiji 19 (1886). He participated in the 2nd Domestic Industrial Exhibition (Naikoku kangyo hakuranakai) in Meiji 14 (1881) and was awarded the myogi (second prize) for his excellent skills as a carver. His most famous ivory sculpture, of Fujiwara Kamatari, is in the Tokyo National Museum.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related ivory okimono depicting two warriors by the same artist, signed Nippon Tokyo Shimamura Toshiaki/Shunmei saku, 26.3 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2013, London, lot 319 (sold for GBP 18,750).
Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number 2022/BE04273/CE).
By Shimamura Shunmei (Toshiaki, 1853-1896), signed Shunmei saku
Japan, Tokyo, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)
The beauty kneeling, one knee over the other as she supports her Pekingese dog who is trying to wriggle free. The dog with big round eyes looking straight ahead as it awkwardly tries to find its feet on the ground, one paw supported on the bijin’s hand as the other is raised to wave. The elegantly dressed woman clad in a formal kimono decorated with elaborate geometric motifs and foliate designs, the robe pools at the base as she sits, and the sleeves appearing to sway in the wind. The face with a sincere expression and gently parted lips, with the hair neatly coiffed and secured by bows, ornate pins, and a comb. Signed underneath SHUNMEI (Toshiaki) with a square seal saku [made by].
HEIGHT 16.7 cm
Condition: Very good condition with typical natural age cracks. Minor chipping to the edge of the dog's tail and to the hairpins of the lady.
Provenance: From a private collection in Belgium, published in the commissioned private catalogue 'The Nibajama collection' no. 128.
Born as the second son of Shimamura Shunjun (Toshikane), who worked for the Imperial Court in Asakusa, Edo, Shimamura Shunmei (Toshiaki, 1853-1896) had already inherited the skills of a great wood carver and by the age of sixteen he had already produced 16 rakan for the Kaiko temple in Ryogoku, Tokyo.
He later changed his career to ivory carving due to the flourishing export market and is recorded in the Tokyo zoge chokoku bijutsu hyo (A Table of the Art of Ivory Carvings in Tokyo), printed in Meiji 19 (1886). He participated in the 2nd Domestic Industrial Exhibition (Naikoku kangyo hakuranakai) in Meiji 14 (1881) and was awarded the myogi (second prize) for his excellent skills as a carver. His most famous ivory sculpture, of Fujiwara Kamatari, is in the Tokyo National Museum.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related ivory okimono depicting two warriors by the same artist, signed Nippon Tokyo Shimamura Toshiaki/Shunmei saku, 26.3 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2013, London, lot 319 (sold for GBP 18,750).
Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number 2022/BE04273/CE).
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