Sylvie Tiago

Small incense box (kōgō) in black persimmon wood, carved in the form of a textured, charred and overturned tree stump upon which rests a cricket. The underside of the stump bears the...

Small circular lacquered wood incense box (kōgō). The exterior of the concave cover is decorated with three crabs rendered in fundame, hiramaki-e, and takamaki-e in gold. Each is uni...

Interesting bronze bunchin (scholar’s paperweight) with a fine polished brown patina, formed as a group of five turtles (kame), some emerging fully from their shells. The largest occ...

Bronze suiteki (water dropper) with a fine brown patina, modeled as two turtles (kame) stacked one upon the other. In Japan, the turtle (kame) is regarded as a symbol of wisdom, sta...

Large bronze suiteki (water dropper) in the form of a plum stump (mume). Its surface, textured to evoke the structure of wood, abounds in detail: a toad in relief poised to leap ont...

Elegant small kobako in the shape of a bitter melon, also known as balsam pear or bitter cucumber. Crafted in bluish-green lacquer, with a gold-lacquered interior. The rendering of t...

Small kobako in the shape of a shiitake mushroom, rendered in an ultra-realistic manner in white and brown lacquer, perfectly imitating the texture of a real fungus. Literally transl...

Small kogo representing a chili pepper, finished with a subtly shaded red lacquer on the body of the fruit and a textured, glossy green lacquer on the stem. The underside is executed...

Kōgō (incense box) in textured and lacquered wood, shaped like a physalis. The exterior surface of the box is painted with pigmented lacquer in red, orange, and yellow, gradually tra...

Curious small incense box, or kōgō, in red and pink lacquer, fashioned in the form of a split pomegranate. The interior is finished in gold lacquer with a crackled effect. A kōgō is ...

Small lacquered wooden box in the shape of an eggplant. The upper part of the fruit near the leaves is painted with silver or tin pigments forming the stem. The subtly shaded lacquer...

Kōgō (incense box) in lacquered wood shaped like a chestnut. The exterior surface of the box is decorated with a beautiful shade of brown lacquer. The interior is finished in gold fu...

An elegant bronze suiteki, or water dropper, in the shape of a gourd. The suiteki is one of the essential objects of the literati, used to hold the water needed for grinding ink. Far...

Katabori-type netsuke (fully three-dimensional) carved in boxwood, depicting a kneeling skeleton. One hand rests on a mokugyō drum placed on a small cushion-shaped stand, while the o...

Pair of bronze candlesticks with a brown patina. The circular, flared bases are decorated with leaves and berries. The rounded bodies are adorned with three beetles, one of which, wi...

Manju-type netsuke (round in shape) carved in wood, decorated with cherry blossoms on one side and geometric patterns on the other. Signed “Getsu.” Round or oval in form, the manju netsuke...

Manju-type netsuke (round in shape) in red lacquer, carved using the tsuishu technique, depicting a shōjō (young girl) standing before a waterfall. Round or oval in form, the manju netsuke...

Manju-type netsuke (round in form) in red lacquer, carved using the tsuishu technique (carved red lacquer), shaped as a fan and decorated with a carved scene of a scholar and his attendant. Round or oval in form, the manju netsuke...

Manju-type netsuke (round in form) in red lacquer, carved using the tsuishu technique, decorated with blossoming cherry branches (sakura). Round or oval in form, the manju netsuke...

Ryūsa-type manju netsuke (round in form, openwork) in carved wood, depicting a coiled phoenix. Signed Sentsui (?). Round or oval in form, the manju netsu...

Katabori-type netsuke (fully three-dimensional) in carved wood, lacquered in black, depicting the character ju (“longevity”). Signed Zanaka. Ink in East Asia is generally presented i...

Katabori-type netsuke (fully three-dimensional) in carved boxwood, depicting a recumbent ox, its head harnessed and turned to the left, with its legs folded beneath its body. Apocryp...

Katabori-type netsuke (fully three-dimensional) in carved boxwood, in the form of a tachibana orange within its foliage, the peel on the reverse opened to reveal the segments. Signed...

Wood netsuke covered with layers of red and black lacquer, carved using the tsuikoku technique (carved black lacquer), in the form of a manju, decorated with a scene of a child benea...

Ikebana basket (hanakago) in bamboo and rattan wickerwork, coated with a clear lacquer finish, with its otoshi (inner container) made from a lacquered section of bamboo. The body is ...

Ikebana basket (hanakago) in bamboo and rattan basketry, coated with a black-red lacquer varnish, with its otoshi (inner container) in a section of lacquered bamboo. The body weaving...

Manju netsuke in lacquer and maki-e on a grey-blue ground, shaped as a traditional taiko drum and decorated with foliage. Himotoshi pierced beneath the ...

Cute suiteki (water dropper) in cast bronze in the shape of a rabbit (or hare) with a gorgeous brown patina, represented with one of its two ears standing. The suiteki is a small con...

Bronze incense-burner depicting a kingfisher with an elongated beak, resting on a lotus flower that forms its base. Its position is that of a bird of prey ready to swoop down on any ...

Netsuke in lacquered boxwood representing a yawning Daruma in a red cloak. Daruma, the Japanese name for Bodhidharma, was an Indian Buddhist monk and the founder of the Chan school i...

Netsuke in boxwood depicting a mouse curled up on itself, holding its tail between its tiny paws. The highly realistic rendering of the fur and the deep, worn patina emphasize the na...

Impressive suzuribako writing box decorated in gold and tin maki-e lacquer on a nashiji ground. The lid is adorned with a composition depicting a pine and a plum tree whose trunks in...

Bronze turtle with brown patina. In Japan, the turtle (kame) is considered a symbol of wisdom, stability and luck. Tradition has it that it provides protection and 10,000 years of ha...

An interesting bronze sculpture, ashtray or incense burner, depicting a lotus leaf folded to form a receptacle, decorated with a snail shell. In Japan, the snail is a symbol of wisdo...

Japanese bronze of a tanuki. The tanuki is depicted here dressed as a Buddhist priest, wrapped in a cloak, holding a rosary in its right paw and lying on a bell. The tanuki (raccoon ...

Very unusual kobako or encens box, in natural wood decorated lacquered maple leaf. The branch is plowing over a spring because of its leaves, colored red orange and black. One red le...

Boxwood netsuke depicting a standing man carrying a pouch behind his back in which an oni is hidden. Onis are an integral part of the pantheon of yokai, the spirits and monsters of J...

Elegant gold-lacquered wooden comb and hairpin decorated in maki-e with landscapes and animals. The comb is decorated on one side with pavilions in a landscape and on the other side ...

Suzuribako (writing box) in black lacquer, rectangular in shape, with a gold lacquer (maki-e) decoration of a pavilion by the edge of a waterfall and a mountain river surrounded by v...

Imposing kobako in nashiji lacquer on a black ground, decorated with a motif imitating wood grain. The lid is adorned with an ikebana basket (hanakago) containing a bouquet of remark...

Elegant rectangular kobako decorated in nashiji lacquer on a black ground. The lid features a delicate landscape scene depicting a pavilion—possibly a small castle—set beside a river...

Wajima-lacquer kobako in grey lacquer, decorated with gold-lacquer stripes forming a bivalve shell motif. The interior is finished in nashiji lacquer on a black ground. Wajima lacque...

Pair of eggshaped kakemono weights (fuchin), made of blue-and-white porcelain (possibly Hirado) and decorated with a three-clawed dragon. Fuchin are used to keep the fabric or paper ...

Pair of kakemono weights (fuchin), cubic in shape, made of ceramic and painted with green floral dots on a black ground. Fuchin are used to keep the fabric or paper of a kakemono tau...

Pair of spherical kakemono weights (fuchin), made of enamelled porcelain and decorated with geometric patterns and red spheres. Fuchin are used to keep the fabric or paper of a kakem...

Elegant tsuba in forged iron, with a textured pattern imitating wood grain, also decorated with an openwork motif of a flower within a star, likely a mon (family crest). The tsuba is...

Very elegant small netsuke carved from a short segment of bamboo, depicting three mushrooms caps growing at its top. Beautiful brown patina from use. Since traditional kimonos do not...

Netsuke in boxwood depicting a mouse curled up on itself, holding its tail between its tiny paws. The highly realistic rendering of the fur and the deep, worn patina emphasize the na...

Fine netsuke in the form of a lotus flower, within whose foliage hides a small frog. The realistic treatment of the plant allows for unmistakable identification, whether by the flowe...

Small Suiteki in bronze in the form of a tea pot, standing on a small socle with a very interesting bi color patina work. The suiteki is a small container used to hold the water tha...

Small netsuke in deer antler in the form of a standing feminine figure wearing traditional dress and carrying a box looking like an itomasu, a rice scaling and weighing device. The p...

A pair of cornet vases in bronze with a smooth black patina and a rather flared neck adorned with sparrows hanging on a cherry branch. In Asia, the sparrow is seen as a messenger fr...

Netsuke made from a natural lacquered calabash. Curved around itself, it has a main bulb at the bottom and a second smaller bulb below the opening. It is narrowed in the middle, whe...

Bronze sculpture or Okimono of two toads facing each other, on a bamboo segment. These kinds of objects are traditionally used by calligraphs as a weight to stabilize the sheet of pa...

Netsuke in natural persimmon wood in the form of a stylized bird (probably a sparrow), it has been treated with abstraction and has a remarkable polish. In Asia, the sparrow is seen...

Netsuke in boxwood in the form of a tortoise hiding in its shell with only its head overstepping. Textures from the shell are executed with realism precision and a great care for de...

A matching set consisting of an inrō and pipe (kiseru) holder crafted forming a kiserusu. This piece was made using chazutsu, ( or Kabazaiku) a technique involving the application of...

Small yet interesting netsuke in boxwood representing a seated rooster. The finish of its dishevelled feathers is neat, while the details of comb and the beak are treated with great ...

Suzuribako, or writing box, of rectangular shape, decorated with an imposing architecture realized in hira maki-e lacquer, probably a palatial structure, situated beside a waterfall...

Okimono or boxwood sculpture integrating the natural shape and texture of a tormented section of a boxwood branch, used to reveal the form of a corvid. This type of scholar's object, which uses natural marvels as a medium for sculpture, is common in China, the birthplace of calligraphy. However, a similar aesthetic can be found in many Sinicized countries, whether it involves Japanese okimono made of wood or ivory, or Chinese dream stones...