A GROUP OF JAPANESE SHIBUICHI JEWELLERY

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When the closed ports of Japan were opened to Western trade in the late 1850s there was a tremendous interest in all things Japanese. This interest was augmented by the 1862 Exhibition in London and also in 1875 when Arthur Liberty opened his Anglo-Japanese shop in London, helping to create a major vogue in 'Japanese-style' jewellery. The import of Japanese articles coincided with a major event in Japan itself, namely the prohibition of the wearing of the Samurai sword in 1876. This new law led many of the metalworkers to make small decorative pieces for the Western market and the group offered for sale here are an excellent example. The two techniques used were shibuichi and skakudo. This involves the inlaying of gold, silver and copper together with a range of coloured alloys, into a dark base which is either a silver alloy (shibuichi) or a copper alloy (shakudo) which can appear very dark. It was the range of colours and overall quality that were in advance of their Western counterparts during the second half of the nineteenth century. THE PROPERTY OF A LADY The following three lots were purchased by the current owner's great grandfather in Japan towards the end of the nineteenth century

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A GROUP OF JAPANESE SHIBUICHI JEWELLERY
Consisting of a pair of earrings, each depicting two cranes in a river setting , a ring with a boat in rough seas with Mount Fuji in the background and a circular plaque with a boat in calm waters, mounted in gold, circa 1870 (4)

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No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

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