tsuba Still Feeling the Heat

[Spartancrest]

I have come across this very interesting Blog site, that will either make you weep, or cheer the ingenuity of ultimate recycling. I like many collectors, like to display my collection but I don't know anyone who lives/lived within their collection as did Louis Comfort Tiffany.

 

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/59036

 

Please look at the images at the highest resolution, If you think your walls are covered by tsuba, you will be surprised how far earlier collectors outstrip us.

 

[Steves87]

Amazing!!

[ChrisW]

Amazing, but it makes me cringe a little bit.

[Brian]

I have no words.

[Hoshi]

Beautiful illustration that what we consider in the west as rare treasures, are in the east in such surplus they make for good kitchen decorative tiles. 

[Spartancrest]

Chris

It makes me cringe too! Victorian and Edwardian clutter! I bet he never had to do the dusting! 

Still would have been nice to pick through! If you look close even the fire tools have tsuba guards - guess that much is practical?

[Fuuten]

Where the admiration for the items is commendable some of the lost value due to changes made to the artefacts is not. It's stated that they we're of his own manufacturing on the smokehood(?) Or chimney.

[Kurikata]

I understand now why some famous tsuba collections have desappeared....

[Ken-Hawaii]

Conspicuous overconsumption.

[Ganko]

If you've got it flaunt it, I guess.

[Brian Ayres]

That hood is marvelous the details on the link show how lovely it is. Forged not cast iron. It’s is a lovely piece of metal.

[Spartancrest]

Brian

Yes you can see why he took it from one home to the next, He also commissioned a Tsuba window. [80cm x 110.5cm]

In a similar vein The A.A.Vantine & Co. produced an interesting lampshade in the 1920's. [As the guards are all identical it is likely they were produced just for the lamp shade and not genuine tsuba]

[Mark S.]

Just working on that patina!

[MHC]

It looks like the fireplace hood is adjustable in height by the offset balance of the cannon balls on chains, interesting smoke control.

 

Mark

[Japan2112]

Wow!

The Morse Museum is just 40 minutes from my place and I've been. It is now on my list of places to visit.

 

To return the favor to those in New England or visiting Massachusetts - The George Walter Vincent Smith Museum in Springfield - a contemporary collector of Tiffany - swords, armor, tsuba fittings, polearms - a large room full.  Displayed and left almost untouched since 1900.

 

Here are some photos to whet your appetite. Enjoy.