 Sangaibishi Hatasashimono Banner Momoyama period, 16th century H: 89 cm; W: 44 cm Provenance: Ogasawara Family |
The collaborative exhibition by members of the Japanese Art Dealers Association (JADA) will bring together over 100 fine and important screens, hanging scrolls, sculptures, prints, ceramics and other works of art, from archaic pots to 20th century paintings and lacquers.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a smaller thematic show, Momoyama Style!, which presents works from the most opulent period of Japanese art and later works influenced by the Momoyama tastes and style.
"JADA's members are pleased once again to present a full range of the dynamic and vibrant visual arts of Japan," said Sebastian Izzard, president of the non-profit organization. "In addition to our collaborative exhibition at the Ukrainian Institute of America, several of JADA's members and JADA affiliated galleries from Europe, Japan, and the United States will host exhibitions in their galleries to reveal the great breadth of Japanese art across the centuries."
New York's Asia Week events include over 50 gallery exhibitions as well as lectures, auctions, and museum exhibitions throughout the city and bring to town curators, art historians, dealers, and collectors from three continents. Asia Week runs from approximately March 15 to March 23, 2013.
Highlights of JADA 2013 will include an early Edo period and truly spectacular solid gold sword mountings – handle and hilt – and a lacquer sheath with applied gold foil that housed the famous Rai Kunimitsu sword. Being exhibited by Leighton R. Longhi, Inc. Oriental Fine art, the mountings were one of the prized possessions of the Tokugawa clan, whose members ruled Japan or influenced its affairs strongly from the late 16th through late 19th centuries. The sword blade itself, which remains in Japan, had been presented by shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651) to Arima Tadayori (1603-1655) in commemoration of Tadayori's success in putting down the Christian uprising known as the Shimabara Rebellion (1637-1638), an event that grew out of heavy taxation and led to widespread persecution of Christians and a tightening of Japan's isolationist policies. The present mountings were commissioned as a befitting and spectacular accompaniment to one of the finest sword blades ever made.
Solid gold sword fittings and scabbard with gold foil
Edo period, 17th century. 39-3/4 x 10-3/4. Courtesy Leighton R. Longhi, Inc. Asian Art.
In Japanese legend, the figure Tamayori hime (jewel- like princess) was a daughter of a god and the mother of the country's first emperor, and her name became associated with all women endowed with divine prowess. In this rare and early repousse kyozo, or mirror with incised images of buddhas or divinities, dating from the 12th century, the figure of a young woman believed to be Tamayori hime is shown with long flowing hair and dressed in a robe with long sleeves and a full skirt. Two similar works are in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
Porcelain Dish with Chrysanthemum Chain Design Hizen ware, Nabeshima type: porcelain with underglaze blue, iron red and colored enamels Early Edo period, ca. 1650–60 Height 1¾ in. (4.6 cm); diameter 7¾ in. (19.7 cm) Courtesy Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art |
A rare and important Nabeshima-ware porcelain dish dating to ca. 1660 is being exhibited by Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art. Boldly decorated in underglaze blue, iron red, and colored enamels with a mallow design, this dish is a rare early example from the Nabeshima kilns in Hizen Province. These highly refined wares were reserved for use by the samurai elite and were originally created as an indigenous alternative to expensive imported Chinese late Ming enameled wares.
Among 20th century works, Furuya Korin in a pair of six-panel screens, Shoreline at Dusk, pushes the boundaries of Japanese technique. Korin applied a mixture of crushed sea shells bound with animal glue to create a fisherman's netting, using multiple layers to create the simulation of rope in relief. To accentuate the net, he painted it with silver and gold to create sparkling highlights. At the same time, Korin incorporated Western perspective and realism to create a work of art that bridges East and West. The screens are being shown by Erik Thomsen Gallery.
The JADA exhibitions will also include Momoyama Style!, a small exhibition of works of art from Japan's glorious Momoyama period (1568 – 1600) and art influenced by the period. The Momoyama period was the country's great gilded Renaissance era known for its artistic brilliance, opulent castles lavishly decorated with gold leaf screens and sliding gold doors, and powerful lords. Among the works will be a breathtaking suit of armor once owned by Ishida Mitsunari, the Robert E. Lee of Japan's civil wars, who was decapitated six days after his defeat in the decisive battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which may have been the greatest battle fought in Japanese history. The armor's helmet is decorated with soaring gilded finials called tensuki, or "heaven piercings," and flowing hair that symbolizes the pure, untamed warrior. The suit of armor is being presented by Leighton R. Longhi, Inc. Oriental Fine Art.
Also from the Momoyama period - one famed for its exquisite textiles - will be a pair of unusually fine screens of empty robes draped over garment racks and set against a gold leaf ground. Known as Tagesode, or "whose sleeeves", screens, the atmospheric works raise the intriguing question of who the robes belonged to. They are being shown by Mika Gallery.
About JADA: Founded in 2002, the Japanese Art Dealers Association is a not-for-profit group whose members include leading New York galleries and private dealers. JADA's members are dedicated to the traditional fine arts of Japan and hold individual gallery exhibitions, joint exhibitions, and sponsor lectures and symposia at institutions in the United States. JADA's members are based in New York and are Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art, Leighton R. Longhi, Inc. Oriental Fine Art, Mika Gallery, Erik Thomsen Gallery, and Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts. For more information, please visit www.jada-ny.org.