Page 76 - Christie's The Joseph Collection of Japanese Art

*53
A SMALL HIRADO TOKKURI [SAKE BOTTLE]
MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)
平戸染付唐子文徳利
明治時代（19世紀後期）
Of globular form with a short everted neck on a short foot, decorated in underglaze
blue with a Chinese Tang dynasty style depiction of late spring, in which three
karako [Chinese children] chase butterfies in a feld
13cm. high
£800-1,000 $1,400-1,700
€990-1,200

*54
A KYOTO WARE DISH
SIGNED KACHUTEI DOHACHI SEI [TAKAHASHI DOHACHI IV (1845-1897)]
AND TESSAI GAISHI [TOMIOKA TESSAI (1836-1924)]
京焼染付小皿「鶏鳴起床」
銘 華中亭道八製 [四代高橋道八 (1845-1897)] /
鉄斎外史 [富岡鉄斎 (1836-1924)]
The shallow circular dish on a short foot, decorated in underglaze blue with an
inscription Keimei kisho [wake up when the cockerels sing], generally means ‘wake
up very early in the morning and work hard’, and signature Tessai gaishi, another
signature by Dohachi to the base
11cm. diam.
£2,000-3,000 $3,400-5,100
€2,500-3,700

The Takahashi Dohachi was one of the famous potter families in Kyoto. Since
Takahashi Dohachi I (1740-1804) in the late Edo period, the family has made
ceramic works. Takahashi Dohachi IV was particularly skilled at blue and white
seika ware, white porcelain and sculptures. His fne porcelain works went into the
collections of important families in Japan and also internationally, and he won a
number of prizes for his works. For more about the artist, see:
Kato Tokuro, Genshoku Toji Daijiten [Encyclopaedia of Japanese Ceramics], (Kyoto,
1972), p. 685-686.
Tomioka Tessai was one of the most important artists of modern Japan as well
as an infuential scholar of Chinese classics. He lived in Kyoto and was well-
schooled in Japanese and Chinese religion and literature. Even in his paintings, he
incorporated inscriptions aimed at the enlightenment and education of people, and
his painting and calligraphy are considered to be direct expressions of his vision
and character. Tessai’s works are characterised by his free and individualistic
handling of the brush that inparts his work with the vitality evident in this lot.

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