Tsuba from Arthur-Kay-Collection?!

[Ludolf Richter]

Hello to our British and CO-members.In the Haynes Index the author describes a strange Tsuba made by Joi as piece from the Arthur-Kay-Collection.When looking for the Arthur Kay Collection

there was nothing to be found on Tsuba or Nihonto or that parts of his collection had been sold.Now a Ge-Ebay-seller is going to place a Tsuba with the same strange Mei and details mentioned by Haynes (I got the pics,because I am helping him to describe his entries for Ebay-GE.He has no idea,from where his late grandfather has gotten his Kodogu collection).Does anybody have information that this famous Scottish collector and maecenas may have collected Tsuba too?Is there something written?Ludolf

[John A Stuart]

COLLECTION OF ARTHUR KAY SIGNED BY ARTHUR KAY, Salle Drout.

 

This is available from Bernard Hurtig of Honolulu, click on; Japanese Netsuke and Art Books http://4bernardhurtig.com/index.html or click this URL http://4bernardhurtig.com/artbooks.html it is down the list. John

[Ludolf Richter]

Thanks John,besides Netsuke I could not find anything about Tsuba etc..Haynes must have had a calalogue,because he made that Tsuba # 1386 of the Arthur-Kay-Collection.Ludolf

[John A Stuart]

Hi Ludolf, I was thinking maybe the catalog was more comprehensive, not just netsuke. I wonder who might have this catalog? maybe someone in the Netsuke Society? John

[docliss]

Dear Ludolf

 

Some more information re Arthur Kay. The sale of his collection was held at Hotel Drouot in 1913. The hard-bound catalogue (on sale at AbeBooks.co.uk for a mere £118), is described thus:

 

‘Collection de M. Arther Kay, lacques de Japon, bronzes Chinois, bronzes Japonais, gardes des sabre, peinture et dessins’.

 

John L.

[Brian]

One copy, at $160.

http://used.addall.com/SuperRare/submit ... store=ZVAB

Looks like he also had a Japanese laquerwork collection. Odd that we haven't heard more of him or his collection.

 

Brian

[myochin]

Here is a picture of the tsuba in question.

Paul.

[myochin]

Infor from the first page of the catalogue:

 

Arthur Kay (from Glasgow)

Collection of lacquer, sagemono, netsuke, Chinese bronzes, Japanese bronzes, tsuba, paintings, prints

Auction sale dates: 20 - 26 November 1913

 

Paul.

[Soshin]

Hi Paul,

 

Looks like a really nice tsuba but wish you could post a better photo of it. Thank you.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[myochin]

David, the photo dates to 1913 !

Sorry, can't do any better.

 

Paul.

[Ludolf Richter]

Hi,"Your" Tsuba seems to be an iron and not the copper one described by Haynes.Here are the pics from the GE collector.Ludolf

PS.Mei:Bujo Akasaka Inshi raku Joi Nagaharu tsukuru

[myochin]

Ludolf, the tsuba I scanned is the one illsutrated in the 1913 catalogue and correspinds to the description for item 1386 (there are only a total of 3 tsuba illustrated in the whole catalogue).

In the scan I posted you can't see a mei (unless it is on the ura), in the description it states: Jo-i Nagakaru tsukuru / Bujo Akasaka Inshi Raku.

I wonder if there is a mistake.

Can you give me the Haynes reference.

 

Thanks.

Paul.

 

PS: the whole description says: oval shaped tsuba of red copper, inlaid with shakudô & gold, showing Hotei on a horse admiring the moon.

[myochin]

Ludolf, I found the Haynes reference (H02135).

I suspect that you have found another example of the same signature (yours is not a copper-red plate and there is no shakudo inlay).

 

Paul.

[docliss]

This confusion would appear to result from an error on Haynes’ part. He clearly refers to ‘a red copper plate tsuba with shakudō inlay’ and bearing the mei as described, but then must have transcribed the lot number as #1386 in error.

 

John L.

[Pete Klein]

If you reference the mei for Joi in Wakayama or Kinko Meikan I believe you will find this example is gimei.

[Ludolf Richter]

Thanks Paul!So it's a different Tsuba with the same (strange) Mei.I don't believe it's Gimei.Ludolf