LONDON.- A rare opportunity to view works from the Japanese Meiji period (1868 – 1912) is brought to this year’s LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair, Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London on 13th – 18th September 2016. The pieces will be shown by Kevin Page Oriental Art, one of the few UK dealers that specialises in the best examples of works from that era.

Kevin Page comments, “The Meiji period is a particularly fascinating time in Japanese history, which appeals to collectors. However, someone with no prior knowledge can also appreciate the craftsmanship and artistic accomplishment displayed in Meiji artwork. A lot of the best works were created for the Great Expositions and so appeal to a wide range of people. In the late 19th century they were seen as exotic and mysterious, no one had seen anything like it, and this still rings true today as they remain underexposed. With the V&A's recent revamp of its Japanese gallery, however, Japanese art in general is being better appreciated, understood and valued.

“We sell Chinese and Japanese antiques, and have noticed that Chinese collectors are increasingly looking at, and comparing the quality and workmanship of the Japanese works to their native ones. They say that if the Japanese items were Chinese the value would be in the hundreds of thousands and even millions of pounds. With increasing interest from Chinese collectors in Meiji artwork, and the fact that they are so fine and impossible to reproduce, we believe that there is a healthy future, in financial terms, for these items.”

Highlights include the vases from Ozeki, the high-end retailer of the Meiji period, which sold only the most precious objects and artworks. Demonstrating the phenomenal level of skill attained by Japanese metalworkers are the lifelike snakes that curl around the neck of each vase.

A multi-metal iron plate depicting the warrior Watanabe no Tsuna fighting the oni witch Ibaraki-doji. At 55cm in diameter, it is a large and fine example of Komai’s famous damascene. The images were carved into the plate with fine wires of gold and silver fitted into the grooves to create the complex picture.

Also on display will be a silver and multimetal Koro, signed Masayoshi. At 14cm high, this exquisite work features a three dimensional crouching Samurai warrior on one side and a dramatic image of a crow silhouetted against a moon on the other. The koro features detailed multimetal inlay designs and unusual ringed handles, and sits on a silver and wood base. An example of real master craftsmanship.