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Iron tsuba of round form with design of rabbit (usagi) in openwork (sukashi) and inlaid with designs of plants and family crests (mon) in suemon-zōgan. A branch with lonely leaf, half chrysanthemum, and flying wild geese on the face represent autumnal connotations. The same motif is complemented by a clove (choji) on the reverse. The family crests (mon) include: interlocked rings (kanawa; wachigai), three encircled lines or stripes (hikiryo), bit or muzzle (kutsuwa - horse's harness element with possible christian symbolism), and encircled triangle (uroko, fish scale). Brass wire trim around the openwork elements and the seppa-dai, scalloped wire inlay around the hitsu-ana. Iron is dark, almost black. Brass or copper elements vary in shades of lighter and darker yellow with red-ish hue. Ōnin school. Late Muromachi period, 16th century. Height: 89.6 mm; Width: 89.3 mm; Thickness at seppa-dai: 3.0 mm. Weight: 129.7 g. -
Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi [歌川 國芳] (Japanese, 1798 – 1861). Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, c. 1815 – 1869). Published in c. 1845 (no seal). Possibly, from the "Untitled series of beauties reflected in mirrors", see Kunisada Project. However, this print does not have the seal of the censor Tanaka [田中]. -
Japanese lacquer writing box (suzuribako) with an eagle sitting on a pine tree over the see waves. Rectangular box with rounded corners, slightly convex overlapping lid. Lacquer on wood with maki-e decoration in gold powder. The lid decorated inside with pine cones and needles over gold maki-e. Edo or Meiji period, 19th century. -
Hardbound, 25.3 x 22 cm, blue cloth, pictorial dust jacket lettered: HIROSHIGE | FAN PRINTS | RUPERT FAULKNER | {image} | VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM • FAR EASTERN SERIES ||; silver lettering to spine, green endpapers, description of 136 items with colour illustrations; pagination: [1-6] 7-160, ils. Utagawa Hiroshige [歌川 広重] a.k.a. Andō Hiroshige [安藤 広重] (Japanese, 1797 – 1858). -
Well-forged iron plate of round shape (maru-gata) is decorated with water weeds or arabesque (karakusa) in flat brass inlay (hira-zōgan) all over and eight family crests (mon) of round form in cast brass with delicate linear carving (kebori) and openwork (sukashi). Crests represent: [at 9 hours] three counter-clockwise commas or swirls (tomoe); [at 10:30] plum blossom (ume); [at 12:00, 1:130, and 7:30] - stylized flower made by cutting out five suhama symblos (flower-shaped suhama); [at 3:00] bellflower (kikyō); [at 4:30] seven-star crest (shichiyō-mon); [at 6:00] cherry blossom (sakura). Brass-trimmed ryo-hitsu. Copper sekigane. Yoshirō school. Momoyama or early Edo period, end of the 16th to first half of the 17th century (1574-1650). Inscription on seppa-dai: 八幡 - Hachiman. Size: height 89.6 mm, width 89.3 mm, thickness at seppa-dai 3,0 mm. Weight 129.7 g. NBTHK certificate № 4007685, June 27, 2015: HOZON (Worthy of Preservation). As for the inscription, Nihonto Message Board blog discussion provides the following explanation of the inscription: "An expression of conviction as to being the best under the sun". On the other hand, there may be more in this confluence of symbols: the tomoe crest at 9:00 is "the kamon of Hachiman, the war god" [Family Crests of Japan; Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, CA, 2007, p. 108]. The character 八 in the inscription cut stronger than the other kanji, and may be by a different hand in different time. 八 (hachi, eight): "The numeral eight was appreciated because its shape broadens toward the bottom, symbolizing eternal expansion" [ibid, p. 119]. It may be said that this tsuba is dedicated to Hachiman. Other crests (suhama, bellflower, seven-stars, plum and cherry blossoms) collectively allude to "good old times" when Fijiwara and Taira clans were in full bloom. Markus Sesko believes that the inscriptions reads: Hachiman: "the inscription is/was HACHIMAN (八幡), the God of War and a relatively popular inscription for tsuba, swords and armor." Elliott Long and Robert Haynes provide the following explanation of the inscription: "...hachi is correct and represents the name of the HACHI SHRINE. The inscription reads 'YAWATA' which is the name of the mountain in Mino Province where the HACHI Shrine is located". Details on Hachiman Shrine in Yawata (八幡市) can be found elsewhere, including Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan by Edmond Papinot. Van Ham auction house provides the following description: MON-SUKASHI TSUBA. MARUGATA. Japan. Momoyama period. Yoshiro school. Iron with inlays of brass. In hira-zogan technique with kebori engraving eight different family emblems (mon). An old inscription is dedicated to the deity Hachiman. D.4.5mm, Ø 8.3cm. Condition A/B. Supplement: Wooden box and NBTHK certificate. -
Title: AN ESSAY | Towards a | REAL CHARACTER, | And a | PHILOSOPHICAL | LANGUAGE. | By John Wilkins D.D. Dean of Ripon, | And Fellow of the ROYAL SOCIETY. |—| [armorial device] |—| LONDON, | Printed for Sa: Gellibrand, and for | JOHN MARTYN Printer to the ROYAL | SOCIETY, 1668. Pagination: [2] blank/order, [2] t.p./blank, [16], 1-454; + 79 leaves of Dictionary, unpaginated (158 pages); Illustrations: folding plates before pp. 167, 187, and two folding plates before p. 443. Collation: π2 a-d2 B-Z4 Aa-Zz4 Aaa-Lll4 Mmm3 aaa4 Aaa-Sss4 ttt3 Size: 4to, 32 x 20 x 5 cm; Binding: Full speckled calf, later polished calf spine with raised bands, double fillet ruled gilt compartments, crimson label with gilt lettering, margins sprinkled red. The work of John Wilkins is dedicated to the problem of the universal language. Wilkins was the Dean of Ripon from 1663 to 1672 and one of the founders of the Royal Society. -
Iron tsuba of round form decorated with eight roundels – circular emblems of flowers and/or family crests (mon) made of cast brass, pierced and chiseled in kebori, and with flat brass inlay (hira-zōgan) of vines or leaves all over the plate. Both hitsu-ana trimmed in brass. Nakago-ana of rectangular form, with copper sekigane. Four positive openwork (ji-sukashi) roundels at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock; and four negative openwork (in-sukashi) roundels with cherry blossom, bellflower, and two variations on suhama theme. Yoshirō school (Kaga-Yoshirō). The Momoyama or early Edo period, late 16th to early 17th century. Size: diameter 81.4 mm, thickness 4.7 mmat seppa-dai, 4.0 mm at rim. Christie's lot description: AN IRON TSUBA; EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY). THE DOLPHYN COLLECTION OF SAMURAI ART. The round iron tsuba pierced with roundels of various floral motifs interspersed among scrolling foliage, all inlaid with brass. 8.1 cm. high. Provenance: Pabst Collection (no. 338). -
Softcover, publisher’s pictorial wrappers, 29.7 x 24.6 cm, pp.: [1-3] 4-174 [2 blank], ils.; total 88 leaves. Title-page: Kunisada | imaging | drama and beauty | Robert Schaap | with an introduction by Sebastian Izzard | and contributions by Paul Griffith and Henk. J. Herwig | {publisher’s device} Hotei Publishing || Contents: Preface / Robert Schaap & Chris Uhlenbeck; Lenders to the exhibition & catalogue: notes to readers; Utagawa Kunisada, the artist and his times / Sebastian Izzard; Catalogue / Robert Schaap with Paul Griffith, Henk J. Herwig & Sebastian Izzard. Subjects: Utagawa, Kunisada, — 1786-1864 — Catalogs; Color prints, Japanese — Edo period, 1600-1868 — Catalogs; Ukiyo-e — Catalogs. Contributors: Sebastian Izzard Paul Griffith Henk. J. Herwig Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865) Select illustrations (references in this collection):
SVJP-0226.2016: Superb Edo pictures illustrating dances, 1858.
SVJP-0221.2016: Actor Morita Kan’ya XI as Saito Tarozaemon Toshiyuki, 1860.
SVJP-0228.2017: Matsumoto Kōshirō V (Japanese, 1764-1838) as Nikki Danjō Saemon Naonori, 1863.
SVJP-0197.2015: Three Pleasures of Present-day Osaka (Tōsei Naniwa no sankō), 1821.
SVJP-0222.2016: A view of the dressing room of a Theater in Dōtonbori, Ōsaka, 1821-2.
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Iron tsuba of round form decorated with eight roundels - circular emblems of flowers and/or family crests (mon) made of cast brass, pierced and chiseled in kebori, and with flat brass inlay (hira-zōgan) of vines or seaweed all over the plate. Hitsu-ana outlined in brass. Four positive silhouette roundels are 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6- pointing crests/flowers; four negative silhouette roundels are bellflower, cherry blossom, and suhama. Yoshirō school (Kaga-Yoshirō). The Momoyama or early Edo period, beginning of 17th century. Size: diameter 77 mm, thickness 3,8 mm -
Title page: The Mathematical Theory | Of Communication | By CLAUDE E. SHANNON | and WARREN WEAVER | THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS: URBANA | 1949 || Pagination: [8] [2] 3-117 [3 blanks]. Size: 23.5 x 16 cm Binding: Publisher’s burgundy cloth, silver lettering to spine, yellow pictorial DJ with lettering: THE MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF | COMMUNICATION | {8 lines of text} {graph} | CLAUDE SHANNON WARREN WEAVER || Contributors: Shannon, Claude Elwood (American, 1916 – 2001) Weaver, Warren (American, 1894 – 1978) -
Iron tsuba of round form decorated with eight circular emblems of flowers and/or family crests (mon) made of cast brass, pierced and chiseled in kebori, as well as with flat brass inlay (hira-zōgan) of vines, leaves, and flowers all over the plate. Yoshirō school (Kaga-Yoshirō). The Momoyama or early Edo period, 17th century. Size: diameter 80 mm, thickness at seppa-dai 3,6 mm. Symbols: [12:00 o'clock] - Wood sorrel (katabami) and swords ; [9:00] - Cherry blossom (sakura); [7:30] - Bellflower (kikyō), kamon of Toki clan; [3:00] - possibly, a six-petal Chrysanthemum (kiku) or a Passion flower (tessen); [1:30] - Hemp (asanoha). The symbols at 6:00, 10:30, and 4:30 o'clock seem to be geometrical patterns of auspicious meaning: a cross in a square, a four pointing star, and a diamond, respectively. Alternatively, we may look at this piece as purely decorative, with patterns at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 o'clock in negative openwork (in-sukashi), and at 1:30, 4:40, 7:20, and 10:30 o'clock - in positive openwork (ji-sukashi, or yō-sukashi). Markus Sesko in his Handbook of sword fittings related terms [Herstellung und Verlag: Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt, 2011] discriminates this type of openwork in a separate class: Ranma-sukashi: "This term is applied to circular sukashi with family crests to their inside, which are arranged running along the rim area. The description goes back to the opened boards (ranma) between the sliding doors and the ceiling of Japanese rooms. Ranma-sukashi are mostly seen on old Heianjō- or Yoshirō-zōgan-tsuba but also on works of Hayashi Matashichi" [page 30]. -
Softcover, in black pictorial flapped wrappers, 28 x 21.8 cm, 16 entries, with colour illustrations. Catalogue # 8 of the sales exhibition on March 23-30 2004 in NY; pagination: [1-3] 4-50 [2], ils., some folding. Front cover: gilt on a black background: Japanese Sword Fittings | from the | Alexander G. Moslé | Collection | {vignette ‘tsuba with shishi lion} || Contributor: Sebastian Izzard -
The Four Elements by Jacob Matham (Netherlandish, Haarlem 1571–1631 Haarlem) after Hendrick Goltzius (Netherlandish, Mühlbracht 1558–1617 Haarlem). Engraving on copper, printed on laid paper, 1588.
Dimensions: 298 mm × 206 mm.
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Title (black and red): ПЕСНЬ | О КРЕСТОВОМ | ПОХОДЕ ПРОТИВ | АЛЬБИГОЙЦЕВ | {device} | Издание подготовили | И.О. БЕЛАВИН, Е.В. МОРОЗОВА | Научно-издательский центр | «Ладомир» | «Наука» | Москва || Frontispiece (black and red): LA CHANSON DE | LA CROISADE | ALBIGEOISE | {device} || Pagination : [1-9] 10-437 [3] ; 79 illustr. on 20 leaves of colour plates between pp. 224/225, inset: folding double-sided map of the Albigensian Crusade43 x 64 cm; print run 2,000 copies. Binding: serial green buckram blind-stamped with a scroll adorned with gold lettering to board and spine. Отв. ред. М. Л. Андреев. Ред. изд-ва Л. А. Сифурова. -
Iron tsuba of round form with design of military commander's fan (gunbai) in openwork (sukashi). Square rim. Hitsu-ana plugged with lead or tin. Ko-tosho school. Mid-Muromachi period (1454-1513), Entoku era (1489-92) / Meio era (1489-1501). Height: 80.3 mm, Width: 81.5 mm, Rim thickness: 3.0 mm. Centre thickness: 3.5 mm. Provenance: Sasano Masayuki Collection, №23 in Japanese Sword Guard Masterpieces from the Sasano Collection, 1994: Ko-tosho. Sukashi design: Military commander's fan (gunbai). Mid Muromachi period. Late 15th century (Entoku / Meio era). The military commander's fan (gunbai) was cherished by samurai warriors. This tsuba is relatively thick, with the large fan nicely positioned on the plate. -
Two volumes, each bound in red cloth with gilt lettering to spine, black endpapers, TEG, and matching red cloth slipcases with black lettering to front. Vol. 1: The Clarence Buckingham collection of Japanese prints: The Primitives / Catalogue by Helen C. Gunsaulus. — [Chicago]: Art Institute of Chicago, 1955. Pagination: 1st leaf blank, 2nd leaf half-title, verso blank, [i, ii] – t.p. in red and black, copyright to verso, iii-vi, [vii] faux-title “The catalogue”, 1-284 [285] colophon, limitation: 500 numbered copies, this is № 476. Title-page: THE CLARENCE BUCKINGHAM | COLLECTION OF | JAPANESE PRINTS | The Primitives | CATALOGUE BY HELEN C. GUNSAULUS | THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO || Vol. 2: The Clarence Buckingham collection of Japanese prints: Volume 2 / Catalogue by Margaret O. Gentles. — [Chicago]: Art Institute of Chicago, 1965. Pagination: 1st leaf blank, 2nd leaf half-title, verso blank, [i, ii] – t.p. in red and black, copyright to verso, iii-vi, [vii] faux-title “The catalogue”,1-307 [2] blank/ colophon, limitation: 1000 copies (unnumbered). Title-page: VOLUME II | THE CLARENCE BUCKINGHAM | COLLECTION OF | JAPANESE PRINTS | Harunobu, Koryūsai, Shigemasa, their followers and contemporaries | Catalogue by Margaret O. Gentles | THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO 1965 || Contributors: Clarence Buckingham (American, 1854 – 1913) Helen C. Gunsaulus (American, 1886 – 1954) Margaret O. Gentles (American, 1905 – 1969) -
Artist: Natalia Goncharova (July 3, 1881 – October 17, 1962). Russian/French. Lithographic illustration "An elder astride a bull" for Aleksei Kruchenykh book "Two poems. The Hermit. The Hermitess", Moscow, Kuzmin and Dolinsky Publishers, 1913. This sheet is from the book "Natalia Goncharova / Mikhail Larionov" by Eli Eganbyuri (pen-name of Ilia Zdanevich), published by Z. A. Münster in 1913. Inscription on the back: hand-written copy (allegedly by the hand of Osip Brik) of Vladimir Mayakovsky verses for "Red Pepper" (Krasny peretz) magazine issue of 1924, included in the compilation "Ferocious laugh" (Grozny smekh) that was published after Mayakovsky death in 1931. Text of the manuscript on verso. Size: 18,5 х 14,3 cm. Наталия Гончарова (3 июля 1881 – 17 октября 1962). Россия/Франция. Автолитография "Старец верхом на быке" для книги А. Е. Крученых "Две поэмы. Пустынники. Пустынница"; - М.: Изд. Г.Л. Кузьмина, С.Д. Долинского, 1913. Данный лист из книги Эли Эганбюри (псевдоним Ильи Зданевича) "Наталия Гончарова / Михаил Ларионов"; - М. : Изд. Ц. Мюнстера, 1913. На обороте список стихов из подписей к "Красному перцу" 1924 г., которые вошли в сб. "Грозный смех" (вышел после смерти Маяковского в 1931). Вероятно список сделан рукой Осипа Брика. Текст манускрипта. Формат: 18,5 х 14,3 см.Г. Л. Кузьмин и С. Д. Долинский знамениты, в частности, тем, что в 1912 году издали футуристский манифест "Пощечина общественному вкусу". О них можно найти дополнительную информацию в статье об Л. Л. Кузьмине. Издатель Цезарь Александрович Мюнстер был сыном знаменитого русского литографа Александра Эрнестовича Мюнстера, открывшего свое литографическое заведение в Санкт-Петербурге в 1850 году. Судьба Ц. А. Мюнстера и его издательства после революции 1917 года мне неизвестна.
Сидят: В.В. Хлебников, Г.Л. Кузьмин, С.Д. Долинский Стоят: Н.Д. Бурлюк, Д.Д. Бурлюк, В.В. Маяковский. 1911.
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Title: GIACOMO CASANOVA | Chevalier de Seingalt | HISTORY OF MY LIFE | FIRST TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH IN ACCORDANCE | WITH THE ORIGINAL FRENCH MANUSCRIPT | By Willard R. Trask | With an Introduction by the Translator | VOLUMES 1 AND 2 | A Helen and Kurt Wolff book • Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966 | NEW YORK || Stated 1st edition. Pagination: [2 blank] [i-iv] v-viii, [1, 2] 3-330 [8 blanks] + 32 ills. Two volumes in one.
