Steve Sly Japanese Works of Art Exhibition Catalogue Autumn 2024

There is little doubt that the finest Japanese works of art destined for national and international expositions during the mid to latter years of that magical Meiji period (1868-1912) literally wowed the audience, as well as propelling the artisans of the previously isolated group of islands that make up Japan, onto the world stage. Indeed, a century and a half later Japanese art aficionados and avid collectors continue to be captivated as market fresh pieces surface from old collections, museum archives and auction houses around the globe, albeit at a much slower pace than in decades past.

I believe this small selection demonstrates this continuing phenomenon, a collection of 25 works that have taken me almost 12 months to source, research and confidently offer to the market.

My own travels, dovetailing with the help of my extensive network of reliable trusted sources has led me directly into European and indeed worldwide collections. My first exciting find, the large iron Jizai crab okimono by Myochin Muneyoshi at plate 3 was unearthed on a personal visit to Japan in November 2023. And so began the quest to find enough market fresh pieces of significant importance, scarcity or simply of a highly decorative merit, that I deemed them worthy of entry into this year’s production.

Just a few of my personal favourites are:

The diminutive shakudo and mixed metal box at plate 23 manufactured by one of the leading metalwork masters of the Meiji period, Unno Shomin (1844-1915) certainly fits into the significantly important bracket.

The Iron and mixed metal crab and shell box at plate 9 by Komai of Kyoto simply has to fit into the scarce bracket, certainly to any collector of Komai wares or damascened iron works.

And it would be difficult to argue that the large pair of lacquer Tigers at plate 7 formerly part of an extensive European arms and armour collection are certainly highly decorative, if not a tad comical.

I hope that you enjoy this hand-picked selection of just some of my favourite finds of 2024 as much as I have enjoyed the thrill of sourcing, researching and presenting them to you.

Best Wishes,
Steve