A.B. Levy s Scholar s Objects

Beautiful hand made large calligraphy brush with stunning green marble beads, bone ferrule and horse hair. This is a substantial 15" piece that weighs a whopping 1.2 lb with beads me...

A lovely and luxurious Japanese silver incense burner of lobed melon form, akoda koro, marked jungin and signed Nomura, Meiji Period, circa 1900, Japan. The silver koro...

Carefully carved from a cypress tree burl, this late 19th-century burlwood vessel is known as a brush pot, a container traditionally used to hold select calligraphy brushes in a scho...

A small and elegant Chinese cloisonné vase for incense tools, Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th century, China. Made for the scholar's studio, this small refined vase, was used to hold incense tools, including a small pair of tongs or chopsticks and spoon. The tools no longer present. Of miniature baluster vase form, the vase beautify proportioned and decorated in the cloisonné enamel technique, with gilt wires forming the cloisons, or partitions. Within the cloisons, colorful enamels have been expertly laid. The small incense tool vase...

Introduce a piece of history to your decor with this antique Chinese bronze censer incense burner. Featuring intricate detailing and a ri...

A tri-pod ceramic incense burner (koro) by Japanese Imperial potter Makuzu Kozan (1842-1916) circa late Meiji to the start of Taisho period (1890-1910s). A fine example of the artist's work belonging to the late part of his underglaze paint phase (started around 1887 until his death), the surface of the koro was painted in beautiful shades of blue to depict a continuous landscape not unlike a traditional ink and watercolor hand scroll. The rise and fall mountains recede and fade into the horizon and are dotted with groves of pines. The sky is painted with a beautiful subtle shade of pink, suggesting a time of sunrise or sunset. The koro is fitted with an ensuite reticulated sterling silver hoya (incense cover), pierced with swirling cloud and marked with "pure silver' in Kanji. The base is signed in underglaze blue "Makuzu Kozan Sei" within a double ring. The piece is beautifully potted in form and the decoration was done with expertise using the novel technique developed by Kozan called Fuki-e (the blow painting), in order to achieve the striking landscape known as "Mountain and Water" with sense of dimensions and gradient, the poetic effects normally conveyed only by sumi ink staining on paper. The piece comes with an unsigned tomobako (wood storage box) of a recent age. Also known as Miyagawa Kozan (1842–1916), Makuzu Kozan was one of the most established and collected ceramist from Meiji Period. Born as Miyagawa Toranosuke, Kozan established his pottery studio in Yokohama around 1870s and later became one of the appointed artists to the Japanese Imperial household. His work was exhibited in many international fairs that the Meiji government participated at the turn of the century and won many grand prizes. Being one of the most creative ceramists, Kozan started experimenting with new chemical colors from the West in the format of his porcelain glaze around 1880s. New colors allowed him to create underglaze designs that appeared bright, smooth and glossy. He even invented his own receipt of cobalt blue to achieve a much brighter yet softer shade, as evident on this vase. To create landscape that is realistic and dimensional, more common in the western paintings, he was inspired by the native Japanese ink painting technique developed around 1900 by Yokoyama...

Antique Burmese Gilt Lacquered Kammavaca Manuscript, Consisting of 2 lacquered wood end covers and 16 double sided folios of lacquered cloth in red and black with gold leaf. This Kam...

A stunning all natural genuine tiger's eye sculpture depicting a dragon chasing a ball. The sculpture is made with a whole slab of natural Tiger's Eye with fantastic iridescence. Fin...

This Japanese Satsuma incense burner is a decorative work of art from the Meiji period, distinguished by its exquisite craftsmanship and intrica...

Vintage Japanese iron bird incense burner, circa 1960s. The piece has a removable vented piece for burning incense, a wonderful patina and measures 6.5"...

A rare Meissen Marcolini Porcelain Chinoiserie incense burner vase and cover, made for the Chinese market, circa 1800, blue cross swords and star mark, Pressnummer 58 A Museum Quality Piece. Painted in the sought after famille rose palette with sprigs of indianische Blumen and enriched in gilding, the simulated pierced body supported by four feet painted with stylized dragons, the pierced cover with a Buddhist lion finial. 10" high x 6" wide x 6" deep The shape of this piece, which appears to be unrecorded in the literature, is inspired by similar Chinese porcelain censers from the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period (1654-1722). An example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated by Li Yi-hua in Qing Porcelain of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Periods from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 65. Another in the British Museum, London (museum no. PDF, A.812) is catalogued as a perfume-holder. These porcelain examples are in turn inspired by ancient Chinese bronzes from both the Shang (1600-1046 BC) and the Zhou (1046-246 BCE) dynasties, an example of which was sold anonymously by Christie's New York, 22 March 2019, lot 1601. This chain of inspiration tracking backwards from the 19th century to antiquity provides a clear example of how ceramics, and indeed other mediums, are able to influence and motivate the works of later generations. For a Meissen porcelain snuff...

Rare and unusual 19th century monumental Chinese rosewood brush pot carved from a large, solid trunk. Beautiful crafted with a subtle hourglass cylindrical shape. Featuring rich and ...