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Lot 1162

NAMIKI: Emperor Rabbit in Moonlight Maki-e & Rankaku Fountain Pen

16 June 2015, 10:00 PDT
San Francisco

Sold for US$8,125 inc. premium

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NAMIKI: Emperor Rabbit in Moonlight Maki-e & Rankaku Fountain Pen

Two rabbits, fashioned from fragments of quail eggshell in the difficult rankaku technique, sit among ferns and leaves on this large eyedropper-filler with raden highlights. A striking pen. In The Four Seasons of Namiki, Christophe Larquemin writes eloquently of this pen's appeal: "The magic of Namiki consists in sublimating an apparently insignificant subject, like rabbits, into a work of art. The skill of the masters consists in 'giving back sight' to people, in making them see something they would not otherwise have noticed. An initiation is required to understand the essence, the soul of a Namiki pen.... While some will only see two rabbits at night, others will let these rabbits transport them to the heart of Japanese culture."

Medium 18K two-tone gold nib, large #50 size, engraved with Mt. Fuji motif, has been inked. Outer box, wooden display box, ink bottle, service guide and various papers, Namiki DVD. No limitation stated, but production was quite limited due to the labor-intensive eggshell technique.

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