17th Century Asian Art and Furniture

Pines and Cranes Anonymous. Kyoto Kano School. Late 17th/early 18th centuries, circa 1700. Pair of six-panel Japanese folding screens. Ink, gofun, pigment and gold leaf on paper. This bold composition presents two pine trees extending to the left and right across a gold leaf background. One tree is silhouetted against a green ground, golden clouds obscuring its true size, the other stretches across a stylized waterway. The pines are paired with Manchurian cranes with red crests and snow white plumage. Both have been highly auspicious motifs in East Asia since Chinese antiquity. Here the artist utilized fluid and instinctive ink brushstrokes to define the trunk, branches and tail feathers, in strong contrast to the precision and sharp angularity of the crane’s legs and beaks. The adoption of this vast metallic painting support required an unerring sense of design and composition, so that the negative space surrounding motifs could imply context for the otherwise floating pictorial elements. The brushwork detailing the trunks of the pines, the exaggerated dimensions of the pine trees and the strength and dynamism of the composition are all reminiscent of Kano Eitoku...

A Thai bronze head of Buddha, Ayutthaya period, late 16th-early 17th century. His face with serene expression, arched eyebrows above incised eyes and ...

An antique Persian Iranian Safavid dynasty hand woven embroidered textile, circa 17th century, showcases the dynastys intricate craftsmanship. The fabric features horizontal bands fi...

CHONGZHENG 1628-1644 From our Chinese collection, we are delighted to offer this rare example Chinese Ko-Sometsuke Wucai Porcelain Plate. The plate potted in porcelain ceramic of ci...

A 17th Century Japanese Blue and White Porcelain Dish in the Kraak Style, Arita Kilns 1670 – 1700. The central design shows three pheasant, one perched on a rock amongst flowering p...

An attractive carved wood figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, known as Guanyin in China, late Ming Dynasty, early 17th century, China. Guanyi...

A very nicely decorated small dish, dating to ca 1500, Hongzhi or Zhengde period. The small saucer dish is decorated with a raised moulded goldfish coloured in orange-red enamel and...

An antique Persian Iranian Safavid dynasty hand woven textile blanket. The textile decorated with flowers and paisley ornaments. The reverse side is covered with orange colored linen...

An antique Persian Iranian Safavid dynasty hand woven embroidered textile, circa 17th century. Featuring a vibrant red, decorated with repeating golden floral designs. Safavid Iran o...

Antique Burmese bronze Buddha sitting in Mara Vijaya (calling the earth to witness) posture on a base. Age: Burma, Shan Period, 17th Century Size: Height 20.3 C.M. / Width 9.2 C.M. ...

A refined and poetic Japanese landscape painting dating from the late Muromachi to early Edo period (16th–17th century). Executed in mineral pigments on paper, the composition captur...

An antique Persian Iranian Safavid dynasty hand woven embroidered textile. The textile of two parts decorated with hand woven floral motif on the beige background on the one part and...

Unkoku Toyo (1612-1668) View of West Lake Pair of eight-panel Japanese Screens. Ink and gold wash on paper. Dimensions: Each screen: H. 110 cm x W. 372 cm (43” x 147”) This pair ...

Sharing with you this new arrival and very happy with it. Late Ming period Kraak plate of exceptional quality in cobalt blue of larger size. In general the piece is already of high q...

A fantastic pair of large Chinese tileworks sancai glazed Buddhistic lions and attendants, late Ming Dynasty, first half of the 17th century, Shanxi, China. Presented on custom 20th century wood and lacquer table-form stands. This pair of lions and attendants portray Buddhist lions...

A highly important Japanese export lacquer cabinet with depiction of the Dutch East India Company tradepost Deshima and the annual Dutch delegation on its way to the Shogun in Edo Edo period, circa 1660-1680 H. 88 x W. 100.5 x D. 54 cm This cabinet includes a later European japanned stand, but also a modern powder-coated steel frame. The latter can be designed and added to your specific needs. The sides and front of the rectangular two-door cabinet are embellished in gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e on a black roiro lacquer ground with a continuous design. The two doors depict a long procession of numerous figures travelling on foot and horseback along buildings and a pagoda into a mountainous landscape. This is the annual court journey, Hofreis, of the Dutch from Nagasaki to the Shogun’s court in Edo. Three horseback riders are dressed as Dutch merchants and a fourth figure, probably het Opperhoofd, is seen inside a palanquin, norimon. Just about to cross the bridge, two men are carrying a cabinet like the present one. Many Japanese figures on either side of the procession are engaged in various activities; some play musical instruments on board of small boats, others are fishing; figures inside buildings are depicted playing go, and farmers are tending to their rice paddocks. The upper part of the right door shows a large mansion, probably the local daimyo’s castle, with men kneeling before a man in the central courtyard. The court journey fits in with the foreign policy of the shogunate which accorded a role to the VOC alongside China, Korea, and the Ryukyu Islands who also had to pay tribute. However, the VOC employees were traders, having low status in Japan’s social hierarchy, and they were received with less deference than were the state embassies from Korea and the Ryukyu Islands. Nevertheless, the contacts with the Dutch were a welcome source of information to the Shogun about Europe and European science and technology. The left side of the cabinet depicts, in mirror image, a rare view of the artificial fan-shaped Deshima Island, the trading post for the Dutch in Japan. The island, where the Dutch flag flies, is surrounded by small Japanese boats and an anchored three-masted fluyt (cargo ship), flying Dutch flags, with on the stern the VOC monogram. On the bottom right a busy street of Nagasaki is shown, bordered by shops and leading up to the stone bridge. On the island the trees are beautifully painted, two cows can be seen, and the flagpole, all in very fine detail. Dutchmen and enslaved Malay are visible outside the buildings and two Japanese figures, probably guards, sit in a small hut in the centre. A maximum of fifteen to twenty Dutchmen lived on the island at any time and soldiers or women were not allowed. Restrictions on Deshima were tight, and the merchants were only allowed to leave the island by special permission. The Opperhoofd had to be replaced every year, and each new Opperhoofd had to make a court journey to pay tribute, present gifts, and to obtain permission to Margaret Barclay eep on trading. In the distance, many birds fly above the hills and a four-story pagoda can be seen. The right side of the cabinet is painted with other horse riders and their retinue journeying through mountains. The pair of doors to the front open to reveal ten rectangular drawers. The drawers are decorated with scenes of birds in flight and landscapes with trees and plants. The reverse of the left door with two thatched buildings, one with a ladder, underneath a camelia tree with large blooms; the right door with a three-story pagoda nestled among trees and both doors with a flying phoenix, ho-oo bird. The cabinet, with elaborately engraved gilt copper mounts, hinges, lock plates and brass handles, is raised on an 18th-century English japanned wood stand. A pair of large cabinets...

17th century, painted in underglaze blue with eight figures including officials in a garden landscape, marked on the bottom with a sitting rabbit(blue hare), Transitional period(Late...

A very large & rare antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Blue & White Porcelain Rouleau dragon vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722), the vase dating to the late 1600s. The vase of slightly tapere...

An Important Chinese Carved Wood Figure of Guanyin, Ming Dynasty, 17th Century Description: A dignified portrayal of the bodhisattva, respl...

A very nicely decorated small dish, dating to ca 1500, Hongzhi or Zhengde period. The small saucer dish is decorated with a raised moulded goldfish coloured in orange-red enamel and...

An amazing and rare Chinese silver Nine Phoenix Coronet or Crown, Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), late 16th to early 17th century, China. A delicate and...

Hawks on plum and pine Soga Nichokuan (active circa 1625-1660) Pair of six-fold screens. Ink, mineral pigments, gofun, gold and speckled gold l...

A Chinese porcelain dish. With design of plum blossoms against an overall fishnet pattern, also dots in repeat. Executed in underglaze blue and overglaze green and red. Tianqi or Cho...

"Pine Trees on the Seashore" A set of four sliding doors (Japanese fusuma). Ink, color, gold-leaf and gold-fleck on paper. Dimensions (total display si...

A pair of six-fold Japanese screens from the 17th century depicting a flock of cranes arriving at their wintering grounds. The expansive scene is heavily atmospheric. The cranes are...

Kano Naonobu (1607-1650) Plum Tree and Birds Six-fold Japanese Screen. Ink and slight color on paper. In this evocative ink work spread over a six-panel folding screen, we see the consummation of the elegance and refinement of the Edo Kano school. This 17th century screen is a rare surviving example of a large-scale bird and flower painting by Kano Naonobu, the younger brother of Kano Tanyu...

Hailing from the Ming period in 16/17th century, this monumental bronze vase is a fine example of the auspicious decor and markings unique to Chinese furnishings. The vase is cast wi...

Sharing with you this lovely and high quality set of Six famille verte cups and saucers plus 1 extra saucer. Finely decorated, showing a lotus scene in various bright colors within...

This is a hand-painted Chinese Export Kraak porcelain blue and white Side Plate or Dish, which we date to the Ming, Wanli period,( 1573-1620 ), datin...

Antique Chinese porcelain blue and white Ming charger Blue and white ceramic deep dish. Material: Chinese porcelain, Ceramic Style: Chinese, Ming, Anti...

A pair of 17th Century (Late 1600s) Japanese Edo screens made of 12-panels. This folding silk screen is painted on a gold leaf background. It has a...

A very beautiful plate, rare monochrome blue ground. Great study material. Condition Overall Condition; 2 large crackle line in central plate, 1 running out in a hai...

Horses Kano Tanshin Morimasa (1653-1718) Two-panel tea-ceremony Japanese screen or furosaki Ink on gold leaf, late 17th-early 18th century Measures: H 55 cm x W 182 cm The Kano school was closely aligned with the warrior class in Japan. The samurai, who lived in a closed and rigid hierarchical society established by the Shogunate, were drawn to the energy and freedom horses symbolize; Kano school artists commonly depicted the equine creatures as they are here, in unfettered and carefree family groups. China originally introduced horse paintings to Japan; the works typically focused on capturing the essence of horses in their various environments and often involved integrating human figures into the images. Kano Tanshin Morimasa (1653-1718) was the son of Kano Tanyu...

A Chinese blue and white porcelain Dish of beautiful shape and design. Visible is a scene of a sheperd with cows. A poem is also visible at the top. Early 17th century. Similar dishe...

Presenting a stunning piece of Indian antiquity from the 17th century, namely, a pair of indian erotic paintings from a kama sutra series. India, Orissa, 17th century. Hand-painted on cloth canvas. These have impeccable Provenance! They were purchased by a Private Dallas Collector at Christie’s New York Auction on 19th September 2002. Sale Number 1115, Lot No. 251. Christie’s operate a twice yearly auction of Southeast Asian Art & Antiquities in New York in the months of March and September. The Lot was described as: “Two Erotic Paintings from a Karma Sutra...

A woven silk kesi qilin panel, Qing Dynasty, Shunzhi to Kangxu period, circa 1660. Panel with gilt thread archivally framed with glazing under fillet and exposed silk mat. sight: 21...

This is a stone statue of two priestly deities carved side by side, believed to have been made in the mid to late Edo period (around the 18th to 19th century), and is one of the obje...

Hi all, this lovely piece just came in. Visible is a nice deep dish from the Jiajing period, probably at the end of it, mid 16th century. It has a strong cobalt blue color with Foo ...

This is a very beautifully hand painted Chinese porcelain blue and white Dish or Plate from the Qing, Kangxi period ( 1662-1722), dating to Circa 1680 or slightly earlier This is a well potted dish with 16 lobes or ribs, a wavy barbed rim, a very well cut foot rim and a very white glaze. The plate is very finely hand painted in a free flowing style, characteristic of the period, in varying shades of a clear cobalt blue, from the very dark to the very light blue. The central well is hand decorated with an iconic outdoor...

Studio of Hasegawa Tohaku (1539-1610) “Crows on Pine” Momoyama period. Early 17th Century. A six-panel Japanese Screen. Ink on paper. The early 17th century Momoyama period scree...

This is a very beautifully hand painted Chinese Imari porcelain very large Dish or Plate / Platter from the Qing, Kangxi period, 1662-1722, dating to Circa 1710. Very large diameter...

These monumental Chinese roof tiles were once installed as part of the elaborate roof of a Ming-dynasty temple or grand courtyard home. Dated to the 17th century or earlier, the scul...

An antique Persian Iranian Safavid dynasty hand woven embroidered velvet textile. The textile is adorned with floral and foliage motifs on a deep blue background, with light brown pa...

This is a Japanese Echizen ware pot. It is "Echizenware". Echizen is a historic kiln located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. (The Echizen kiln is marked with a red circle on the ma...

A Chinese Ming Dynasty period (1368 - 1644) hand-carved stone Foo Dog guardian lion sculpture depicting a male placing his paw atop a ball. Created in Ch...

provenance: Sotheby's (please refer to the pics); Because of the material that this cabinet is made out of, it may be the case that it cannot be shipped to an international address. ...

A museum calibre circa 1610 blue and white Chinese 'Kraak' charger or shallow bowl of massive scale, the round cavetto molded body with slightly scalloped flat rim boldly and exquisitely painted in vibrant underglaze blue with flowering peach, peony, and scroll-filled basket with protruding roots on a fenced terrace within an eight pointed scalloped medallion with ruyi-heads separating panels of starburst-lattice and fish-roe diaper, the rim with Rinaldi 'Border VII.2' having eight radiating panels filled with peach-sprays and auspicious symbols alternating with narrow swastika and tassel panels, the reverse painted with large 'ogival' or round panels with fungus and dots alternating with narrow panels containing stylized lingzhi motifs. An exceptionally fine example with the added rarity of an intact period (likely trader's or merchant's) wax seal. According to Hans van Baarsen...

Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677) Tiger and Dragon Early Edo Period, Circa 1650 A Pair of Six-fold Japanese Screens. Ink and slight color on paper. Dimensions: Each screen: H. 171 cm x W. 380 cm (67.5’’ x 149.5’’) In this pair of early Edo period Japanese screens a group of tigers prowl in a bamboo grove whipped with fierce wind, while a dragon claws through clouds and mist. The dragon embodies elemental qualities - looming out of the mist, the coils of its body disappearing in the clouds. The dragon is calling for rain, symbolizing spring which is considered the fountain of life. On the other side, the tigers calls for the wind, symbolizing autumn which is considered the end of life. Tigers were familiar motifs within Japanese art from ancient times though the animals were imaginary to the people in the 17th century. While dragons and tigers are usually associated as sacred and ferocious, in this painting, both animals have rather amusing expressions. The tigers appear to glare at the dragon with cat-like eyes, and the look on the swirling dragon’s face appears almost affectionate - lending a playful flair to an otherwise magnificent theme. The tiger and dragon are cosmological symbols of the balancing forces in the world. Screens such as this were originally meant to express the fluctuating nature of the world. For Japanese in the early Edo period, they likely suggested the powers of the cosmos. In Japan the tiger and dragon motif was originally absorbed into the circles of Zen monasteries before spreading into the secular world. The theme especially appealed to the military classes with the Kano school, the official painters to the Shogun and the samurai, being the leading contributors. The painter of this pair of screens, Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677), was closely patronized by the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. In his later years he worked with Kano school artists...

Sharing with you this nice Chinese porcelain dish from the Kangxi period. It has a dark cobalt blue river landscape scene in master of the rocks style. The base with bamboo and a 4 ...

Sharing with you this new arrival and very happy with it. Late Ming period Kraak plate of exceptional quality in cobalt blue of larger size. In general the piece is already of high q...

This special antique stone Vishnu statue, originating from Nepal and believed to date back to the 17th century or earlier, is a remarkable piece of sacre...

A rare Japanese export lacquer medical instrument box Edo-period, 1650-1700 L. 19 x W. 6 x H. 8.5 cm This unconventionally shaped lacquer b...

This incredible pair of sancai-glazed Chinese roof tiles were once installed as part of the elaborate roof of a Ming-dynasty temple or grand courtyard home. Dated to the 17th century...

An antique Persian Iranian Safavid dynasty hand woven embroidered textile, circa 17th century, showcases the dynastys intricate craftsmanship. Featuring a central green section adorn...

Antique Japanese 6 panel screen from the early Edo period (C1650). One of a pair (both available). This magnificent golden screen shows...

A very interesting late ming/Transitional bowl. Scene of fishermen drinking tea at a shore line. Its typical late ming potting and decoration, but the base mark is something that wou...

Rare Antique Burmese bronze Buddha sitting in Mara Vijaya (calling the earth to witness) posture on a base. This Buddha has Indian influence in facial expression. Age: Burma, Early...

The central field showing a medallion of overlapping petal motifs, radiating out to auspicious Chou character (twisted peach tree) & lotus blossom designs, segmented by undulating li...