CHICAGO, IL.- Exquisite items ranging from a cloisonné-enamel and plique-a-jour bowl by Ando Jubei, a legendary cloisonné artist, to a private Chicago collection of Japanese silver bonbonnierés will be offered in Hindman’s March 25th Japanese and Korean Works of Art auction. Japanese ink and color paintings from the Collection of L. Harrison Bernbaum (Chicago, Illinois) and a vast offering of samurai swords from the collection of a prominent private collector will be presented alongside a selection of ceramic wares, woodblock prints and baskets curated from various private collections and estates.

Ando Jubei’s Cloisonné-Enamel and Plique-à-Jour Square Bowl

Among the highlights of the auction is a Japanese cloisonné-enamel and partial plique-à-jour square bowl (lot 23; estimate: $60,000- $80,000) by Ando Jubei, a celebrated cloisonné artist who was also admired for the presentation wares that he created for the Imperial Family. Jubei’s work was revolutionary and contributed to the height of cloisonné in the late 19th century. From the Meiji period, this bowl depicts multicolor chrysanthemum, enclosed by brown enameled borders imitating bamboo atop an enameled metal body, with a single crab in the interior of the bowl.

Spectacular Silver

A selection of silver bonbonnierés, containers that were commonly used for gifts or to store treats and candy, from a Chicago collector are among the most anticipated lots of the auction. A fine Japanese silver rabbit-form bonbonniere (lot 20; estimate $1,000 - $2,000) should draw strong bidding activity due to its excellent craftmanship, and the fact that it was made as a souvenir for the marriage of Princess Nagako of Kuni no Miya, known as the Empress Kojun. The bonbonniére group also includes a silver house form and fan-shaped form, thought to be an Imperial object (lot 10 and 21; estimates: $1,000-2,000 and $2,000-4,000).

Japanese Ink and Color Paintings from the Collection of L. Harrison Bernbaum

A selection of Japanese ink and color paintings from the Collection of L. Harrison Bernbaum (Chicago, Illinois), a keen collector of Japanese and Korean works of art and paintings, will be offered. The works illustrate the variety of subject matters which were shown on 18th and 19th century Japanese screens, featuring everything from classic Japanese stories and fairy tales, to Japanese and Chinese landscapes, to scenes taken from Chinese classic novels. Most notable within the selection are the 19th century screens entitled Romance of Three Kingdoms and Hunting Scenes (lot 41 & 43; estimates: $5,000- $6,000).