October 2015

October 14—18, 2015

Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art presented fine and rare Japanese art of the 17th through 19th centuries at Frieze Masters, Stand B11, Regent’s Park, London.  

A rare pair of Kakiemon porcelain bottles painted with colored enamels will highlight a fine selection of Japanese ceramics. These bottles were made at the height of official trade between the Dutch East India Company and Japan. The double-gourd shape and landscape decoration derive from Chinese Transitional models of the mid-seventeenth century and were meant to meet the European demand for high quality porcelain after the demise of the Chinese Ming Dynasty in 1644.

A set of five Nabeshima porcelain dishes decorated with a stylized peony and wave design was also featured.  This set, circa 1688–1716, is representative of the mature period of Nabeshima porcelain production. Several rare examples of Kokutani ware, including a tiered box, a tea-whisk bottle, and a baluster jar and cover, was also shown.

Rounding out the exhibition was a group of Japanese paintings of the ukiyo-e school depicting courtesans and actors by Hosoda Eishi (active 1756–1829), Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671–1751), and Keisai Eisen (1790–1848).