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Lot 1130Ω
NAMIKI: Cranes in Flight Takamaki-e Mini Fountain Pen with Custom Lacquer Box, c.1930
16 June 2015, 10:00 PDT
San FranciscoUS$25,000 - US$50,000
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NAMIKI: Cranes in Flight Takamaki-e Mini Fountain Pen with Custom Lacquer Box, c.1930
A rare diminutive balance-form Namiki pen depicting three elegant cranes in flight (one on the barrel and two on the cap), two with small fish in their mouths, over the choppy waves of the Sea of Japan. Although unsigned, the maki-e work is magnificent, with the birds rendered in sculptural high-relief takamaki-e over hiramaki-e waves. The urushi ground is heavily sprinkled with gold dust which extends the length of the section, and the raised takamaki-e cap band is finely embellished with aqueous whorls and eddies and dotted with precisely-placed kirakane highlights. The raised integral cap band lends great interest to the pen, as small Dunhill-Namikis with embellished rings are quite scarce. This wonderful pen participates in the venerable Japanese tradition of miniature masterpieces; much like netsuke and inrō, the pen's small surface provides a proving-ground for the steady hand and eye of the master craftsman.
In recognition of this pen's masterpiece status, a custom-made lacquer box was commissioned for it in 2004. The box, designed and executed by Takehiro Fujita, features two highly-raised takamaki-e and raden dragonflies on the lid, with a hiramaki-e harvest moon abstraction with several dragonflies on the reverse side. Lever-filler. 14K gold #0 Warranted Pilot heart-vent nib. 95mm.
Provenance: From the Collection of a Gentleman.
-Murakami, Tomihiro. Dunhill-Namiki and Lacquer Pens. [Sakura City: 2002]. See p. 67 for notes on small size vintage Namikis ("The pens with rings on the cap heads are small in quantity.").
-Canton, Jean-François. Namiki: The Poignant Beauty of Fragile Things. [Aurillac: 2013]. See pp. 215-216 for observations on the significance of cranes in Japanese art.
In recognition of this pen's masterpiece status, a custom-made lacquer box was commissioned for it in 2004. The box, designed and executed by Takehiro Fujita, features two highly-raised takamaki-e and raden dragonflies on the lid, with a hiramaki-e harvest moon abstraction with several dragonflies on the reverse side. Lever-filler. 14K gold #0 Warranted Pilot heart-vent nib. 95mm.
Provenance: From the Collection of a Gentleman.
-Murakami, Tomihiro. Dunhill-Namiki and Lacquer Pens. [Sakura City: 2002]. See p. 67 for notes on small size vintage Namikis ("The pens with rings on the cap heads are small in quantity.").
-Canton, Jean-François. Namiki: The Poignant Beauty of Fragile Things. [Aurillac: 2013]. See pp. 215-216 for observations on the significance of cranes in Japanese art.