Lacquer Collectibles and Curiosities

The 'ishime' lacquered case consisting of two conforming molded sections with one sliding overtop the other, both sides decorated with hand painted gilt, silver & burnt dark russet (kasshoku) lacquers, depicting motifs in low relief of a rat with an acorn on one side and two acorns on the opposing. In Japanese culture rats are considered auspicious symbols of fertility & wealth, acorns symbolize prosperity & growth. Signed with characters and a mon on one edge. Takamaki-e is a lacquer technique in which metallic powders such as silver, gold, copper, pewter etc., are used in combination with lacquer & clay-dust to build up motifs in low relief. Please note that the color tones & hues of the lacquered motifs appear somewhat more vibrant in the images due to ambient lighting conditions. Regarding the opinion stating the superior quality of this fine example being likened to works associated with those by Shibata...

A lacquered Edwardian style novelty faux book spine waste paper basket English, 20th century Height 22cm, diameter 23cm This quirky and curious piece is a English, early 20th ce...

Antique Chinese mahjong set.

A Japanese export Nagasaki lacquer tobacco box with the portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte Edo-period, circa 1810 The box in black lacquer on copper, ...

These pieces are a part of smoking set tabako-ire. It consists of a kiseruzutsu (pipe case), a kiseru (pipe), and a tonkotsu (tobacco pouch). The pouch is made of lacquered crocodile...

A Japanese carved wood Amitabha (Amida) Buddha statue with residual gold leafed surface circa 19th century (late Edo period). The buddha is seated in the padmasana position on an elevated double lotus throne, under a small lotus halo canopy. His right hand is held in abhaya mudra which means fearlessness in Sanskrit. The mudra symbolizes protection, peace, and fearless. His left hand gently resting on his thigh. Dressed in a flowing robe with open chest, the statue showcases a classic iconography found prominently in Japanese Buddhism art during Edo to Meiji period, characterized by the double lotus throne and a particularly serene meditative facial expression, highlighted by inset gemstones...

Desk cigarettes humidor box with lighter designed by Ronson. This is an amazing desk cigarettes box & touch-tip lighter, created in New Jersey United States by The Ronson Lighter Co. during the art deco period, back in the 1937. This is a rare near mint box with a single lid with a five-barrels hinge and an integrated touch tip striker lighter. It was designed with strong geometric patterns and crafted in solid chromed steel. Embellished with black lacquer, creating a great color contrast and the interiors are lined up with natural cedar wood. Extremely well made and solid construction with great care and attention to details. This surely is a very decorative piece and should be a great conversation item. Model: 16268. Country: New Jersey, United States. Period: Art Deco, 1937. Materials: Chromed steel, cedar wood, black lacquer. Weight: 897.5 Grams, (1.96 Pounds). Measurements: 203 mm by 102 mm by 89 mm (8.0 x 4.0 x 3.5 Inches). Marks: Stamped with the maker's mark and signed, "FASHIONED BY RONSON NEWARK NJ US PATS BRITISH PAT IN CANADA 1935 NEWARK NJ-USA-ART METAL WORKS INC. RONSON-TOUCH-TIP ". The Ronson Lighter Company The company started as The Art Metal Works in 1897 and was incorporated on July 20, 1898, by Max Hecht, Louis Vincent Aronson and Leopold Herzig, in Newark, New Jersey. Louis V. Aronson was a huge creative driving force for the company; and, with a few business adjustments, including the addition of Alexander Harris (1910–11) as Business Manager, the company soon became World Famous. In the 1910s The Art Metal Works were producing very good quality Hood Ornaments and gained a reputation as a dependable supplier of same. All accounts state that Louis Aronson was a gifted man, who at 16 years old set up a money-making shop in his parent's home - before receiving a U.S. patent for a commercially valuable metal-plating process he developed when he was 24 years old, and he sold half the rights while retaining the Right to Use. "His experiments, which he has been conducting since his early youth, resulted in 1893 in the discovery of a process for electrically producing tinplate. Much money was expended upon improving the process... and has been of great practical value to the whole industry. Retaining its rights, he sold half the patent rights, and later used part of the proceeds to open the Art Metal Works in Newark, N.J. Soon the company was producing a variety of high-quality Lamps, Book ends, Art Statues and other decorative items, prized today for their detail in the collector marketplace. Louis Vincent Aronson Louis Vincent Aronson was an American inventor, industrialist and philanthropist who is best remembered as the inventor of Ronson lighters. "He was a son of Simon and Jennie Aronson, who were natives of Prussia. He was born December 25, 1869, in New York City, and there his boyhood was spent. Aronson was an exceptionally gifted young man who graduated from public school at the age of 12 before entering a New York Technical School specializing in metallurgy, practical metal working and mechanical drawing. At the same time, he set up a laboratory in the basement of his parents' home where he experimented with plating processes and turned-out money-making items while he devised ways of metalizing common items, in a durable finish of matte gold, including flowers, butterflies, animal claws and baby shoes. Aronson natural ability for designing was honed at the technical school and served him well throughout his life. He excelled and completed the School four year academic program in three years. When he graduated in 1886, at the age of 16, he was qualified as an Expert Metallurgist, Draftsman and Designer, he also had a high-level knowledge of Chemistry. He returned to the school five years later as an instructor in metallurgy for several years before devoting all his time to his own company. When he was 24 years old, he sold the rights to a commercially valuable metal plating process according to Urban Cummings book Ronson, The World’s Greatest Lighters, Wick Lighters 1913–2000. He gained public recognition when he won an award in 1893 from the Belgian government for the creation of the first non-toxic match, and young businessman Aronson received 50,000 Francs, equaling $10,000 in U.S. dollars. In 1897 he received a U.S. patent (592,227) for a match design (called the Wind-match) that would light in windy conditions or when wet. He continued working on his match designs including inventing the “Birds Eye” or “Kitchen” match that had a dual-tip design in 1903; this was an important safety improvement because friction matches of the day would sometimes light accidentally especially when stepped on or while in one’s pocket. He realized that placing a small friction ignition chemical on the tip instead of the entire match-head greatly limited accidental ignition. This style of match is still in use today. Literature: Urban K. Cummings, Ronson, the World's Greatest Lighter: Wick Lighters 1913-1966 Bird Dog Books, California. 1992. Pp-168 Figure-187 for this box illustrated. Note: This piece and the touch-tip lighter are empty of any flammable, gas or butane substances and is ready to be ship by any carrier, Condition: The overall condition of this Ronson cigarettes...

Antique Victorian Chinese export black lacquered wood and abalone shell inlaid folding games box, backgammon, chess and checkers game. The fine antique Chinese game board in black lacquered wood and abalone inlays, decorated with architecture, chinoiserie scenes of animals, figures, boats and landscape on the outside, medallions of floral design on the inside. Handcrafted Chinese black lacquered folding game set box with the exterior designed as chess board the interior as a backgammon board, both boards inlaid intricately carved and etched abalone shell. Dimensions: Length: 25” Width (folded): 11.25” Height: 3” Dimensions: unfolded: 22.75" x 27 x 1.5". Circa 1920s, this great game set remains in good vintage condition. There is no game pieces included just the box. Collectible fine antique Asian game set...

An oversized fun lighter. This is an oversized lighter created during the mid-century modernist periods between the 1960 and 1970. The piece has been made in the shape of a common w...

These fine wood lacquered wood boxes are in Romantic style and they are painted both on the sides: on one of these there's an elegant lady on one side and on the other side, a natura...

These fine wood lacquered boxes are in Baroque style. There are natural landscape and one of these has the scene of the fire in the town of Edimburg...

Ferrari Freccia Rossa speed motorboat is a very rare vintage decorative object handcrafted in mahogany wood, metal and leather finishes. Scale model of the exclusive Ferrari F430-...

Large 18th century Italian carved Santo figural icon sculpture depicting a boy with arms raised dressed in a blue parcel-gilt outfit with boots. Heavily aged and distressed polychrom...

English Regency-style (19/20th Century) red lacquer small chinoiserie wall barometer.

Japanese 19th century temple gong. Temple gongs were originally used to beckon the gods. Comes with bronze bell, silk pillow, red lacquer stand and s...

A Botanical model by Robert Brendel, famous German botanist, 19th century. As detailed by the University of Aberdeen Zoology Museum, "In the late 19th century Botanist and model-mak...

These fine wood lacquered wood boxes in Baroque style, are painted both on the sides: there's an elegant lady portrait on one side and on the other side, a natural landscape, so fine...

A large Theravada Buddhism scripture book from Burma, circa late 19th century-early 20th century. The book opens to continuous folding pages that is accordion like. Ink scriptures in curvy Burmese language were handwritten on both sides of the pages. The papers are bind by two lacquered wood covers with elaborate design that features relief scrolls and mini mosaic...

No self-respecting man in Qing-dynasty China would leave the house without some kind of hat. In fact, headgear was so central to social status that a boy’s passage into manhood was m...

This antique 17th century Louis XIV period Italian architectural altarpiece fragment is made of a masterfully sculpted rectangular solid wood panel...

Candle Triplex 6500 table lighter designed by IMCO. This is a brilliantly engineered, unusual and quite ingenious semi-automatic table petrol lighter designed by Julius Franz Meister in Austria, back in the 1950. This model was made by the IMCO company and was named Candle triplex 6500. Has been crafted in solid chromed steel, with aluminum parts and embellished with green lacquer. This lighter is in unused grade, never fired and in superb mint condition with the original box from the stated period. About the mechanic, there is a button on the inserted lighter - pressure solution for stone-flint change. The lighter has a sliding flame regulator or windshield, a space in the base-socket for reserve stones-flints and a special filling tank that you can either pull out for filling or you can pull out the bottom for filling. Stunning modernist design. Model: Triplex Candle Table lighter 6500. Materials: Chromed Steel, aluminum and green lacquer. Weight: All together 66.30 Grams. Measurements: 63.5 mm by 63.5 mm by 207 mm (2.50 x 2.50 x 8.15 Inches). Rarity: Rare in mint, never fired condition and with the original box. Marks: Stamped with the maker's mark and signed as follow; "IMCO MADE IN AUSTRIA 6500". IMCO IMCO was a very important Austrian manufacturer of cigarette lighters. Established in 1907 by Julius Franz Meister, who was formerly a manufacturer of brass buttons for the Austro-Hungarian Army. The first IMCO lighters...

Louis XIV era church cattedra. At the centre the profile of a cleric, wearing the black doctoral biretta with four flaps , typical for doctorates of pontifical universities and depar...

These fine wood lacquered wood boxes are in Flemish style; the cover are hand painted with a natural landscape, so fine as Flemish painting can be. The other one has an home interior...