!" Japanese Flair
Estimate (house tray) £1,000-£2,000 Sold £16,250 Estimate (boat tray) £3,000-£5,000 Sold £22,500
Apair of rare cloissoné enamelled trays consigned to Woolley & Wallis had impeccable provenance, having been acquired by the Weber family of Bristol in the early 20th century. They were made c1903 by the brilliant Japanese artist Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927), who was so highly regarded that, in 1896, the Emperor Meiji appointed him Imperial Cra !sman to the Court. Not only was Namikawa feted in his homeland, but on the wider world stage too, winning many medals at international exhibitions. His Kyoto studio regularly welcomed visitors who came to watch the painstaking work of enamelling items such as trays, jars and vases, and some of his famous customers included Edward VIII and the author Rudyard Kipling. The la"er was particularly taken by the lengthy process of making cloissoné, which comprises laying enamel between wires, followed by much bu # ng. On his travels, Kipling recorded: ‘I saw a man who had only been a month over the polishing of one li"le vase… When I am in America he will be polishing still and the rubycoloured dragon will be growing more lovely.’
!" Simple Elegance
Estimate £200-£300 Sold £420 Pure Arts and Cra !s in style, a pair of Liberty & Co oak side chairs dating to the turn of the century a"racted a"ention at Che# ns recently. The rush seats were elevated in style by decorative top rails pierced with spade motifs, and pre"y ring-turned decoration on legs and back supports. From the late 19th century, London’s Liberty & Co became renowned for its furniture and interior design under Leonard Wyburd. 01223 213343; cheffins.co.uk
$. Like the Sun
Estimate £100-£200 Sold £330 You may think that sunburst clocks were an invention of the 1950s, nurtured into vivid life by designers such as George Nelson who created the iconic Sunburst clock for Vitra. But as this French giltwood wall clock illustrates, their roots are much older. Sold at Lawrences recently, this striking sunburst clock dates to the late 19th or early 20th centuries and has a %ve inch enamelled face powered by an eight- day brass movement by Japy Freres. 01460 73041; lawrences.co.uk
#. With a Flourish
Estimate £7,000-£9,000 Sold £16,250 The Botanical Magazine, also known as Flower- Garden
Displayed, is one of the oldest botanical periodicals. It was started in 1787 by William Curtis, a botanist at Kew Gardens, to showcase ornamental and exotic plants. Each issue had just 3,000 copies, so, when volumes 1-58 came up for sale at Sotheby’s, there was keen interest. The leather-bound cache contained over 3,000 hand- coloured engravings of $owers and plants. 020 7293 5000; sothebys.com
!. Treasure Chest Estimate 2,000- 3,000 Sold 2,250 Such an exquisitely cra !ed, lockable writing box could only have been made during the golden age of le"er writing. The French nécessaire à écrire was one of the pre"iest things up for sale at Christie’s Paris Japonisme auction in November. Dating to around 1860, the box’s embossed and tooled leather surface is decorated with #sh, aquatic plants, birds and insects, while inside are two ink pots, a blo"er and two nibbed pens. 020 7839 9060; christies.com ". China’s Finest Estimate £3,000-£5,000 Sold £50,000 As autumn’s Asian art sales got underway, some marvellous prices were a"ained. This pair of rare porcelain bowls, sold by Roseberys, were made during the reign of Chinese Emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735). The lemon glaze is a blend of antimonite of iron and tin oxide. Lured by the low estimate, eight phone bidders, two salesroom bidders and various online customers chased the quarry, before it sold for 10 times the top estimate. 020 8761 2522; roseberys.co.uk