A Japanese Cloisonne "Bird and Peony" Panel, Workshop of Namikawa Sosuke, Meiji Period

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Worked in gold and silver wires and partly in wireless (musen) enamels with a black paradise flycatcher and flowering peony against a beige ground, an unidentified artist's seal Shu within outline of the stylized urn lower left; verso sealed Sakigake (workshop of Namikawa Sosuke; 1847-1910); within a stained reeded wood frame.

Wood Frame: 17 x 11 1/2 in., 43.2 x 29.2 cm.

Property from the Estate of Henry V. and Carol K. Nickel.

This lot is located in New York.

Provenance:

Sotheby's London, November 16, 1989, lot 771

Christie's New York, September 11, 2012, lot 141

Property from the Estate of Henry V. and Carol K. Nickel

Note:

When the present plaque was offered at Christie's, it was noted, "In 1896, Yasuyuki became an Imperial Craftsman... Sosuke was commissioned to make ornaments and wall furnishings for the imperial palace, hence his skill in making rectangular plaques such as the outstanding example offered here...[Sosuke] was awarded a first prize for his work at the Amsterdam exposition of 1883...Sosuke's particular genius lies in the perfection of a unique form of "wireless" enameling."