Asian Art Forums - Reply Message

Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries

Asian Art Forums

Message Listing by Date:

Meiji Ivory Goblet purchased at Sothebys in 1974 ( China & Japan ) - Andy Schultz - Aug 15, 2014 (06:46 AM)
- Re: Meiji Ivory Goblet purchased at Sothebys in 1974 - Bill H - Aug 17, 2014 (02:31 AM)

Subject:Meiji Ivory Goblet purchased at Sothebys in 1974
Posted By: Andy Schultz Fri, Aug 15, 2014 IP: 70.194.131.147

I need help identifying a carved Ivory goblet, (Meiji), that was purchased at Sothebys London in 1974. It appears to be Mammoth Ivory and I would like to know who made it? There is a signed cartouche on the bottom and what appears to be an oak leaf on the interior of the cup. I am also interested in selling if anyone can point me in the right direction since it's getting harder and harder to sell pieces like this.

Post a Reply
Name:
Email:
Group:	China & Japan
Subject:
Message:
Link URL:	Enter here the complete URL of any site, page or image you would like to show other visitors.
URL Title:	Enter here the title of the link you've given above. This will appear to the visitor. Eg., if you are linking another picture, enter "Another picture". The link will not appear without a title.
Image URL:	Enter here the URL of an image if it is already uploaded on the web. The image will appear with your posting. Do not post pictures which are not yours without permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of each poster to make sure they have permission to use any photos they post.
Image:	You may upload up to three images. If you would like to upload more images to this message please do so by replying to this same message. Please make sure the file type is JPEG or GIF and the filename does not contain spaces. Use the Browse button to find an image (jpg or gif) on a local drive on your computer to upload for including with your message. Do not upload images with file names containing spaces. Please do not upload files larger than 500 KB in size. Do not post pictures which are not yours without permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of each poster to make sure they have permission to use any photos they post. Check the "email notification" box below if you would like to be notified of any responses to your message. Check here for email notification.
Security Code:	Please type in the code you see in the image directly above this input box.

Subject:Re: Meiji Ivory Goblet purchased at Sothebys in 1974
Posted By: Bill H Sun, Aug 17, 2014

Among other possible transcriptions, the kanji mark on your goblet (shown a few degrees right of upside down) can be read as the Japanese given name Toshiyuki (利幸). The Sotheby's and Christie's archives both contain references to auctions of ivory okimono carved by a Meiji artists named Toshiyuki, but my query didn't turn up the '74 auction, and none of the hits showed the characters in addition to the transcribed name. As such, while I think Toshiyuki probably is your guy or studio, there's a small chance it may be pronounced Toshitaka, though I got no apparent ivory carvers in response to a Google query for that version. The feminine name Risa also uses the same characters, but I believe ivory carving during the Meiji period probably was a male-dominated profession.

Best regards,

Bill H.