DUNHILL-NAMIKI: A rare cased silver and Namiki cigarette case and lighter the silver lighter with hallmarks for Wise & Greenwood, London 1925, the cigarette case, by Adie Bros, Birmingham 1929, also with A/D retail mark and engraved ALFRED DUNHILL PARIS
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DUNHILL-NAMIKI: A rare cased silver and lacquered cigarette case and lighter
the silver lighter with hallmarks for Wise & Greenwood, London 1925, also with A/D retail mark, the cigarette case, by Adie Bros, Birmingham 1929, also with A/D retail mark and engraved ALFRED DUNHILL PARIS, both signed by maki-e artist Shu-cho
The cigarette case, of slender rectangular form with rounded corners, exquisitely decorated using varying maki-e techniques the front panel depicting two trees, with leaves and aogai blossoms, issuing from a rocky landscape to the foreground, the building below on the shoreline, lacquered in red and with mother of pearl roofs, further detailed in gold with two figures, in the background is a waterfall cascading from a rocky landscape, set within a gild wire-work frame, the curved banded borders with a speckled (nashiji) gold ground, the reverse centred with three momiji leaves, all within a gold frame and nashiji border, matted gilt interior, stamped ALFRED DUNHILL PARIS FABRICATION ANGLAISE STERLING.
length 11.7cm

The 'Unique' lighter, base also engraved PAT No 143752, plain base screw, with lion passant A/D retail marks, the front with a square depicting a building within a tree and mountainous landscape, in varying maki-e techniques, surrounded with a mother of pearl chequered (aogai) curved sides and reverse, the reverse also with two nashiji vertical bands
height 4.6cm

Both contained in a fitted leather covered case, the silk lined cover with gilt tooled stamp ALFRED DUNHILL Paris.
Sold for £10,000 inc. premium

Footnotes

  • Both parts of the present lot are signed by the maki-e artist Shu-cho, Tokutaro Makino, born in 1889. He studied under Shu-min Funabashi, becoming a Maki-e artist in 1912. From 1924, he studied under Iijima whilst working for the Namiki Manufacturing Company and in 1928 became an official 'A' class Maki-e artist for the company.

Category: Decorative Arts / Silver


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