Heckmann, Gunther Urushi - 2 volumes Deluxe edition in Pearwood box.
Ellwangen, NAP, 2004, First edition, Quarto, Hardcover, book condition: New. 2 volumes, over 700 pages with approximately 1350 illustrations, diagrams and graphics, together with 3 index volumes (trilingual) and CD-Rom all housed in a handmade pearwood box. Limited edition of 1000 copies of which this is number 398.
In two volumes, the reader is given a so far unique overview of one of the most fascinating areas of Japanese craftwork.
URUSHI NO UTSUWA: Volume 1 presents Japanese lacquerwork objects from over five centuries. In addition to decorative combs and boxes of both ritual and daily use, the main area of interest is the group of inro, boxes for seal and medicine, each presented as a complete set with ojime and netsuke mounted on a cord. With the use of state-of-the-art digital photography techniques, the quality of reproduction of these works of art on film far surpasses anything achieved to date with conventional photography. The signatures of the lacquerwork artists are displayed separately next to the appropriate objects. Texts in Japanese, English and German describe the respective artists and subjects, as well as providing technical information on the objects.
URUSHI NO WASA: Volume 2 details the whole technological background of Japanese lacquer objects. Starting with the lacquer tree, there is a systematic portrayal of the refinement of the lacquer material, the different types of lacquer and the materials required for working the objects. In addition to the tools necessary to create an object, the publication focuses on the different lacquerwork techniques in particular. With 270 macro images, individual techniques are described using consistent terminology. Illustrations portraying damage to the objects, preservation and the handling of objects add the finishing touch to the technical descriptions, written in a style that is also comprehensible to the interested layman. The closing chapter of this volume is a scientific discourse by Dr. Jasmina Dei Negri on the development of the basic techniques from the point of view of art history. For the first time, fundamental Japanese literature regarding the purely technical development is critically incorporated and evaluated in western languages.
URUSHI NO SAKUIN: Three index volumes provide explanations of all the key words in Japanese, English and German. They also represent a specialist dictionary that will be of enormous benefit to anyone wishing to make a more critical examination of Japanese lacquerwork and the corresponding terminology. In addition all index volumes are available on a CD-ROM.

The standard work on Japanese lacquer and a magnificent work produced to perfection!
Item nr: 11761

Tadao Ogura The Complete Woodblock Prints of Yoshida Hiroshi.
Kyoto, ABE Publishing, 1987, First edition, Quarto, Softcover, book condition: Fine. 203 pp., 259 colour illustrations, text in Japanese and English, bibliography.
This scarce first editioon of the Complete Prints of Yoshida Hiroshi beautifully illustrates 259 woodblock prints and 20 of his oil paintings, watercolours and sketches. With his deep understanding of Eastern and Western art, he brought contemporary Japanese woodblock prints to a new standard and level of international recognition. Along with contributions by Ogura Tadao, H.E. Robison, Yasunaga Koichi, and Yoshida Hiroshi's sons, Yoshida Toshi and Yoshida Hodaka, this volume is completed with a portrait, an illustrated printing process, chronological history, bibliography, and list of public collections.
Item nr: 11751

Schneeberger, Pierre -f. The Baur Collection: Chinese Jades and other Hardstones.
Geneva, The Baur Collection, 1976, Limited numbered edition, Quarto, Hardcover with slipcase, book condition: Fine, dust jacket condition: Near fine. 52 Pages, followed by 137 objects depicted in colour (22) and black and white (105). one of 1500 copies.
An excellent work on the subject of Chinese jade collected by the Swiss collector Alfred Baur.
Now out of print and becoming very hard to find!!!
Item nr: 11748

Salmony, Alfred Carved Jade of Ancient China.
London, HST, 1982, Second edition limited to 1000 copies, Large QUarto, Hardcover, book condition: Near fine, dust jacket condition: Very good: discolouration to dustjacket. 231 Pages, 72 plates in black and white illustrating multiple items.
No less than 354 pieces of Shang, Zhou and Han jade are illustrated from various collections. This is the first attempt to date archaic jades by comparative methods and by stylistic criteria.
An important and rare work.
Item nr: 11747

Weber, V.F. Ko-ji Ho-ten.
Paris, Privately Printed, 1923, Limited/Numbered, Elephant Folio - over 15" - 23" tall, Half-Leather, Signed by Author, book condition: Very Good. 511+509 pages 2100 plates & figures, i ndex, appendix, glossary. This is the BIBLE OF JAPANESE ARTISTS, covering all aspects of the visual and three dimensional arts: ceramics, metal work, prints, Netsuke, dictinary ot terms, artists, mythological and historical figures, famous sites and much much more. Numerous appendices on characters, signatures marks, emperors. With a map of feudal Japan, 32 plates showing many coats of arms, general index of emblems and attributes. Large folio. An indispensable reference work.
In exceptionally good condition! Very light scuffing to top of spine of volume 2. Very minor bumping to corners. All in all an exceptional copy.
One of the most important reference books on Japanese Art and very scarce!
This is number 139-bis of a limited edition 585 copies and signed by the author.
Item nr: 11746

Loehr, Max Ancient Chinese Jades - from the Grenvill L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University.
Cambridge, Fogg Art Museum, 1975, First Edition, Quarto, Hardcover, book condition: Near Fine. 439 pages, text in English. Profoundly illustrated with mainly black and white images.
A catalogue to the exhibition of the private collection of jades. An astonishing collection of pieces from the Neolithic - Han dynasty as well as pieces uncertain date and forgeries.
Profoundly illustrated and explained.
Item nr: 11745

Blacker, Edgar & Gorer, J.F. Chinese Porcelain and Hard Stones (2 Volumes).
London, Bernard Quaritch, 1911, First edition, Folio, Gilt Decorated Cloth. book condition: Near fine. Unpaginated. 2 Large volumes with 254 colour plates often showing multiple objects. English and French descriptions. Limited numbered edition of 1000 copies.
Highly important standard reference work dealing with all top quality porcelains from the Kangxi period (1662 - 1722) such as Blue & White, Powder Blue, Famille Verte, Noire and Jaune as well as an amazing amount of Enamel on Biscuit (Email sur Biscuit) wares.
Edgar Gorer was one of the best dealers in Chinese porcelains and was based in London and New York during the late 19th and early 20th century. Gorer had a very sophisticated clientele that demanded only the best the market had to offer. Amongst the many clients and collectors Gorer sold to were: John Pierpont Morgan, William Bennett, Sir Richard Bennett, Nellie Ionides, Henry Clay Frick and Charles Phelps Taft.
Edgar Gorer died in 1915 when traveling with Frank Partridge from New York to England on the Lusitania which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat.
A massive and important work. A must for any serious collector.
Extremely scarce!
Item nr: 11723

Krahl, Regina Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection - Volume Four in 2 Volumes.
London, Paradou Writing, 2010, Folio, Harcover with slipcase, book condition: New. 480 pages, fully illustrated in colour throughout. Limited edition of 700 copies.
This catalogue of the Meiyintang collection completes a cycle of publications that record the formidable commitment of two discerning European connoisseurs to assemble the finest private collection of Chinese ceramics: indeed, their knowledge,
sensibility and determination resulted in a more complete documentation of this subject than almost any museum collection can offer today, and the four-volume catalogue of this collection offers probably the most comprehensive illustrated coverage of
Chinese ceramics available in print.
Volumes One and Two, published in 1994, presented Chinese ceramics from the Neolithic to the Qing dynasty (c. 5th millennium bc to 19th century ad). Volume Three, published in 2006, concentrated again on the early ceramics; the present two books, which together form Volume Four and cover the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty (14th to 19th century), highlight the imperial Chinese porcelains from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province.
Item nr: 11646

National Palace Museum Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Jade Artifacts in The National Palace Museum.
Taipei, National Palace Museum, 1998, First edition, Quarto, Hardcover, book condition: Fine. Slipcase with minor ware. Unpaginated. 367 jade objects depicted in colour and described in English and Chinese. Bilingual text. With original slipcase.
A scarce and mush desired work on one of the finest collections of Chinese jades in the world.
Item nr: 11744

Tregear, Mary Song Ceramics.
New York, Rizzoli, 1982, First Edition, Folio, Hardcover, book condition: Fine, dust jacket condition: Near Fine. 262 Pages, 317 illustrations, 42 in colour, 35 maps and figures. Bibliography & index.
A comprehensive account of the origins, development and legacy of the Song ceramic tradition, with a detailed survey of the individual kiln groups that produced the principal wares of the period.
A scarce standard reference.
Item nr: 11743

Jörg, C. Porcelain and the Dutch China Trade.
Den Haag, Nijhoff, 1982, First Edition, 4to, Original Cloth, book condition: Fine, dust jacket condition: Near fine. 372 pages, 80 black & white plates. Numerous appendices of notes, literature and records detailing the Dutch porcelain trade of the VOC at Canton 1729-1795. In four chapters Jorg describes the China trade by the Dutch East India Company, life and trade in Canton, the porcelain trade and the decoration of types of porcelain. Among the illustrations, there are many that heve never been published before.
Item nr: 11742

Segi, Shinichi. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum Yoshitoshi: The Splendid Decadent.
Tokyo, Kodansha, 1985, First edition, Quarto, Hardcover, book condition: Fine, dust jacket condition: Fine. 157 Pages, 67 colour and 162 black and white illustrations.
Yoshitoshi, a man of rare talent was recognized as the last great master of Ukiyo-e prints. He was born in 1839, during the last decades of feudalism in Japan. He became an apprentice of the great Ukiyo-e master Kuniyoshi around the age of eleven and published his first full-color print when fourteen. By the time he was twenty-six concentrating on prints of actors and warriors, he was a highly ranked Ukiyo-e artist of the day. He later turned to the depiction of the gruesome and bloodthirsty that was in great demand by the fin de siecle urban populace.
Item nr: 11741

Heckmann, Günther Tsuba.
Nürthingen, H.U.B. Verlag, 1995, First Edition, Oblong, Hardcover with Slipcase, book condition: New, dust jacket condition: New. 176 pages, full colour images throughout.
Written in Japanese, English and German, this luscious book presents 145 tsuba, most of which will have never been seen before. For the experts, perhaps od gaps will be filled and new questions arise. For the interested layman the book also gives a good introduction to this important part of Japanese art, through its reproductions and texts which are delibrately confined to the essentials.
There is a complete summary of the signatures
Item nr: 11728

Heckmann, Gunther Kodogu.
Nurtingen, H.U.B. Verlag, 1996, Limited, Folio, Decorative Cloth, book condition: New, dust jacket condition: New. 264 pages., over 200 colour illustrations, text in English, German and Japanese. Slipcased.
Kodogu is a sequel to Tsuba and presents the small sword fittings. Some of the selected objects and groups of objects include menuki, of which both the front and the back aspects are shown, kogai, kozuka, and fuchi-kashira are presented here for the first time. The knowledgeable descriptions of the subjects provide a profound insight into the complex tradition of Japanese metal art and the multi-faceted relationship between the warrior and his sword. An introduction to the history of Japanese sword fittings also provides the lay public with an easily comprehensible introduction to this fascinating subject.
Published in a limited edition of 1000 copies.
Item nr: 11727

Christie's The Vung Tau Cargo - Chinese Export Porcelain.
Amsterdam, Christie's, 1992, First Edition, Quarto, Soft Cover, book condition: Near Fine. 132 Pages, 1011 lots. Profusely illustrated in colour and black and white. Prices realised included. Gift inscription on title page.
Important sales catalogue of the recovered ship found off the Vietnamese coast. Sale held from 7 - 8 April 1992.
Scarce.
Item nr: 11712

Sjostrand, Sten The Wanli Shipwreck and its Ceramic Cargo.
Malaysia, Dept. of Museums Malaysia, 2007, First edition, Octavo, Hardcover, book condition: New, dust jacket condition: New. 360 Pages, fully illustrated in colour and black and white drawings.
This publication sets new standards for the reporting and analysis of shipwreck sites in Southeast Asia. Its two most important elements are a full accounting of the archaeological excavation itself and then an inventory of the artifacts recovered. Significantly, the artifacts include a major cargo of some 37,000 pieces Chinese kraak porcelain that the authors (after thorough analysis) assign to +/- 1625. The solid archaeological context for the ceramics adds significant new data to studies of 17th century ceramics that now requires previous studies be reviewed and refined. Besides 650 full colour illustrations, there are drawings, maps and illustrations of the site, both ceramic and non-ceramic artifacts, and ship parts and fittings. One section systematically reviews the symbolism of the blue and white designs, and another gives the historical background for their production in China. The report documents a fruitful relationship between Malaysia’s Department of Museums and Sten Sjostrand of Nanhai Marine Archaeology that began in the early 1990s. The excavation of The Wanli Shipwreck in Malaysia’s territorial waters is only the latest chapter in their joint efforts to illuminate history through projects in maritime archaeology. The accumulated details of this shipwreck site reveal a surprising and explosive history the date, the historical circumstances, the mounds of shattered porcelain associated with broken and missing hull planks lead intractably to the theory that the vessel was a Portuguese-managed ship that sank in a sea battle with Dutch forces that were seeking to control the port of Melaka.
Without a doubt a new standard reference on kraak wares.
Item nr: 11705

Nott, Charles Stanley Chinese Jade - Throughout the Ages.
Rutland and Tokyo, Charles E. Tuttle, 1936, First Edition, Quarto, Hardcover (cloth), book condition: Very Good. 193 pages, tekst in English. Full colour and black & white images.
In thorough study the author, one of the greatest leading authorities on jades, explains the characteristics, styles and uses of jade carvings throughout the ages.
Item nr: 11704

Reigle Stephens, Amy The New Wave - Twentieth Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection.
London, Leiden, Bamboo Publishing and Hotei, 1993, First Edition, Quarto, Hardcover, book condition: Fine, dust jacket condition: Fine Dustjacket with protective Mylar cover. 228 pages, text in English. Full colour images throughout, profusely illustrated.
This is the famous catalogue to the private collection of Robert O. Muller. Apart from of course the prints that were shown in the exhibition it contains three essays: an art historical overview of the developments of Shin Hanga, a discussion of the pioneering role of the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo and an introduction to western artists working in Japan during the formative years of the Shin Hanga period.
A very scarce publication, in a wonderful condition.
Item nr: 11703

Choi, Victor Horses for Eternity.
Hong Kong, Dragon Culture, 2007, First Edition, Quarto, Hardcover with Slipcase, book condition: New, dust jacket condition: New. 349 Pages, text in English. Richly illustrated with full colour images.
A magnificent and luscious work, dedicated to horses in Chinese culture and art. Focussing on the Han to the Tang dynasty, this book gives an excellent historical background and good overview of different styles in the modelling of the horses throughout the Chinese history.
Item nr: 11585

Merritt, Helen Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years.
Honolulu, University of Hawaii, 1990, First Edition, Octavo, Hardcover, book condition: Fine: no pennotations. Clean and crisp inside, dust jacket condition: Good: a repaired tear to the back of the dustjacket Dustjacket with protective Mylar cover. 324 pages, text in English.
This standard reference work is a comprehensive overview of the prints made in the early 20th century, the artists and the 'zeitgeist' in which they lived. It examens the cultural, historical and social background of the prints as well as the two 'schools' or directions: new prints, following the traditional path and 'the other'; looking towards the West for inspiration.
Even though the jacket is a bit worn, this book is otherwise in good condition and an absolute assett to anyone interested in the art of the woodblock prints.
Item nr: 11685