Page 186 - Fine Japanese Art Bonhams London May 2018

FOREWORD FROM THE COLLECTOR

A PRIVATE COLLECTION OF SATSUMA EARTHENWARE

(LOTS 349-390)

METALWORK (LOTS 442-463)

CERAMICS AND OTHER MEIJI WORKS OF ART (LOTS 495-509)

I am grateful and fortunate that my interest in art and painting It has given me the greatest pleasure to assemble this
was awakened during my school days by a particularly dedi- extraordinary and diverse collection of very fine Japanese
cated art teacher, himself a painter. Over the course of a long objects. For reasons of advanced age, I would now like to
and challenging career, engagement with works of art and ensure that—with this second sale—my treasures will be
beautiful objects always gave me new energy and enabled preserved by future collectors. This act of passing from hand
me to think creatively. My particular interest in the best Meiji to hand has already ensured their survival for more than 120
objects began in 1970, when my future parents-in-law gave years and I hope the same process will continue for a long
me a very small ceramic vase. I was immediately fascinated time to come, to the delight of successive generations of
by its design and artistic quality, though I didn’t yet know that owners.
it was by Kinkozan. A subsequent search for similar objects at
art fairs and auctions in my home region (more than 400 miles I would like to add that for years I have followed with great
away from my future and current wife) was entirely fruitless, interest Bonhams sales of Fine Japanese Art, with their
but this setback only spurred me on to greater efforts. wonderful objects, detailed catalogue entries and excellent
photographs. Once I had decided to part with my collec-
My first source of information was the available literature on tion, Suzannah Yip and the Japanese Department were for
the broad outlines of Meiji-era Japanese art. I was subse- me the one and only possibility. This has proved to be a very
quently able to develop my knowledge over a period of 45 good decision: the friendly advice prior to consignment; the
years, first through the experience of making my earliest subsequent examination in situ by Suzannah Yip of all of the
acquisitions, and then through contact with specialists, by objects under consideration for the auction; and the highly
seeing countless objects in person and by further judicious competent appraisal, advice and selection of objects were all
acquisition of interesting items. Among the most enjoyable excellent. The subsequent process of consignment to auction
aspects of Meiji art is the way that one never ceases to learn was perfectly coordinated and ran without a hitch, for which
something new and that it is still possible to be surprised Suzannah and her colleagues have my profound thanks!
by something one has never seen before. The very best
‘golden-age’ Meiji objects represent a body of art that cannot
be reproduced and would be unaffordable today due to the
time-consuming manner of their design and production; each
of them is therefore unique.

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