Dear Friends
Welcome to our August Newsletter.
June’s glorious weather continued into July, this provided plenty of opportunities for various social gatherings and further days afloat. At the beginning of the month Mrs Sly worked tirelessly to put on a baby shower in celebration of our daughter Rosies pending arrival, her first son and our grandson. As you might imagine, with fourteen females due to attend Ted and I swiftly disappeared for the day, it was a great day for the girls celebrating this special occasion.
Mid July delivered back-to-back birthdays, firstly Rosie, then Ryan and finally Mrs Sly’s. Ryans birthday fell on Friday 11th, a stunning day spent on the water, swimming in the sea and generally just chilling out, it was one of those rare perfect days when all the stars aligned. Ryan, our self-appointed skipper, allowed himself the rare treat of an ice-cold beer whilst taking a dip, I must admit I did join him for a cool down… thankfully the UK waters have no active whaling fleets 😊 Returning to the marina at sunset was a dream, we could have been anywhere in the world, but luckily we were only 20 mins from home.
Business in July was actually much better than I had expected, It was nice to hear from a long-standing UK based gentleman who was keen to purchase the little Satsuma Ewer that I had listed during the month, artist signed by Hozan and in lovely order throughout. It was destined to find a home with a fastidious collector, and it did just that.
Thank you to that returning client for his valuable business once again.
A most unexpected sale last month was the delightful Cloisonne enamel bottle vase manufactured by the highly coveted Imperial enamellist Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927), this diminutive vase extensively decorated with gold wires had been in my collection for quite some time, and to be honest I was enjoying ownership.
However, as with all good things they never go bad, usually always finding a buyer when you least expect it. This time returning home to Japan some 130 years since manufacture in the Kyoto workshops of Namikawa Yasuyuki, a unique little studio that I really enjoyed visiting back in 2023.
Another significant sale in July was the pure silver hawk okimono, individually artist signed and stemming from the studios of the Musashiya company, predominantly a silver manufacturer under the ownership of Ozeki Sadajiro of Ozeki company fame. This was a very rare find in pure silver, now returning to a special client based in Japan.
It is really rewarding to see such fine objects return to the very place they were manufactured during the Meiji Period, but tinged with a sadness that I am unlikely to handle them again.
It remains increasingly evident that the Japanese buyers are still keen to repatriate the very best pieces that left their shores during that golden period of the late 19th early 20th century. Many thanks to this long standing client for his continued patronage.
This month’s exclusive featured item is this fascinating Damascened iron and enamel table box, a most unusual piece, the artist has clearly been inspired by the drama of the Noh theatre, a performance that has played out in Japan since the 14th century.
Simply click image for further details.
And finally, as I sign off this month’s newsletter for circulation, I have just received news that my daughter Rosie is being taken into hospital early morning on Thursday 31st for delivery of our grandson. What a great end to the month.
Best wishes
Steve