Page 26 - Bonhams September 12 2018 New York Japanese Works of Art

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ŌKAWA TEIKAN 大川貞幹 (1828–1898)
A Shibuichi Incense-Burner with Aquatic Birds
水辺図彫金四分一香炉
Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1880–1890
The ovoid body cast with three slightly splayed integral feet and with
a pierced and domed cover, both body and cover with silver internal
liners, very finely decorated in gold, silver, shakudō, and shibuichi on
one side with two mandarin ducks swimming past grasses and on
the other side with a single goose taking off from a stream, the cover
pierced with waves and with a finial in the form of another duck,
signed on the side with chiseled characters Shihō Teikan 紫峰貞幹
with an inlaid gold seal-style mark Bii ennen 美意延年 (May happy
thoughts prolong your life) Height 5 1/2 in. (13.9 cm)

$25,000 - 30,000
Ōkawa Teikan is one of a distinguished group of artists who started
as retainers of a branch of the Tokugawa family in the Mito domain,
located some 75 miles northeast of present-day Tokyo, before
moving to the new capital and playing an important role in shaping a
new trajectory for Japanese metalwork. In addition to making non-
functional sword furnishings after the samurai privilege of wearing
two swords ended in 1876, from 1881 Teikan exhibited larger pieces
such as the present lot at the Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai (Domestic
Industrial Promotion Exhibitions) and is thought to have maintained a
large workshop. By contrast with Hamano Masayoshi (see following
lot), his later work preserved some of the relative simplicity of
traditional sword decoration.

Reference
Earle 2004, cat. no. 130
Haynes 2001, H 09521.0

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