NEW YORK, NY.- Bonhams will be participating in Asia Week 2012, which brings together a variety of art outlets to celebrate Asian art from China, India, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. Bonhams will highlight this week with three previews and auctions located at its New York headquarters at 580 Madison.
Bonhams will offer a choice selection of Japanese art on March 20, with highlights featuring a private collection of superb lacquer from a California collector, along with Meiji ceramics by Yabu Meizan and other studio ceramic artists. A fine group of cloisonné enamels will also be offered, including works by Namikawa Yasuyuki and Hayashi Kodenji. Bonhams will also show a second selection of prints and oil paintings conceived by the iconic printmaker Yoshida Hiroshi (1876-1950), following the strong results generated in the Bonhams Japanese sale last autumn. This single-owner catalog will consist of some 43 works in oil and 300 prints.
The netsuke and lacquer section will feature pieces from several prominent private collections, including selections from the collection of author John D. MacDonald (1916-1986), well-known writer of the mystery fiction series Travis McGee and the award-wining Cape Fear. A top highlight from this section of the sale is a gold lacquer writing box and table (pre-sale est. $30,000-40,000), decorated with scenes from the Battle of Osaka, the final chapter in the epic struggle for a consolidated peace in Japan. Rendered entirely in togidashi lacquer techniques, this charming writing set brings to life scenes from Japan’s glorious past.
Another important highlight of the sale is a pair of fine early 17th century six-panel screens (pre-sale est. $50,000-70,000), depicting a view of Mt. Fuji obscured by clouds, and a scene of the grasses of Mt. Yoshino punctuated with a bridge. This highly stylized treatment of Japan’s most recognizable landmark conveys the majesty and size of the mountain in a manner approaching the abstract. These screens will be featured in the painting section of the sale, which also include several masterfully painted folding screens depicting landscapes, animals and pastoral scenes.
The Fine Japanese Works of Art auction will be on preview at the New York headquarters of Bonhams from March 15-19.
