Japan, mid- to late 17^th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Delicately potted in the form of three overlapping ivy leaves borne on green-enameled vines above scattered prunus blossoms in iron-red and pale yellow against an underglaze-blue-decorated brocade pattern, the exterior similarly decorated in cobalt-blue with scrolling leafy vines, the foot with a geometric band.

With a wood storage box with hakogaki inscribed to the interior and exterior in Japanese with an authentication inscription by Imaizumi Motosuki, a noted scholar specializing in Nabeshima ware belonging to the junior branch of the Nabeshima family, and the author of the book Nabeshima Porcelain, Tokyo, 1981, ‘Early period Nageshima ware (Matsugatani ware), in the manner of Matsugatani with ivy design’, and with the signature IMAIZUMI MOTOSUKI shirusu (kan).

WIDTH 16.6 cm

Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and firing irregularities including dark spots as well as a firing crack and kiln grit to the base.
Provenance: A private collection in Kyoto, Japan. Mathias Komor, Fine Arts & Antiques, New York, 10 March 1975, no. E684. The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above. The base with an old label from Mathias Komor. A copy of the original invoice from Mathias Komor, dated 10 March 1975 and stating a purchase price for the present lot of USD 3,000 or approx. EUR 16,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), and a copy of a note printed with a short description of the present lot, dating it to the 17^th century, and noting it was ‘[l]ent by the Alsdorf Collection, Chicago’, accompany this lot. Mathias Komor (1909-1984) was a New York based art dealer and collector who was active from 1930 until his death in 1984. His collection documents objects that passed through the Komor Gallery including pieces from Classical, Egyptian, African, Meso-America, and Chinese antiques and art amongst many others. Much of this material is now in public and private collections in the United States. The Komor archive is comprised of photographs of objects and some miscellaneous archival and ephemeral material. James and Marilynn Alsdorf got married in 1952 and built a life that was centered on art, philanthropy and family. Studying and collecting art was their all-consuming passion, and it took them all over the world. Their spirit of adventure was unique; they went places that few collectors at the time were curious and confident enough to explore. As their interests diversified, so did their collection. ‘They were not strategic in their collecting,’ recalls Bridget Alsdorf, the couple’s granddaughter. ‘They were guided by what fascinated them and gave them pleasure, by knowledge and instinct. They were an incredible team.’ As well as being great collectors, the Alsdorfs were loyal supporters of museums and cultural institutions across Chicago and the wider United States, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago. James Alsdorf served as Chairman of the AIC from 1975 to 1978, and Marilynn sat on various committees. In 1967, the Alsdorfs joined other prominent Chicago collectors, including, Edwin and Lindy Bergman and Robert and Beatrice Mayer, in founding the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, an institution to which they would provide extensive financial and personal leadership. After James’s passing in 1990, Marilynn, who was known as ‘the queen of the Chicago arts community’, continued to build upon her husband’s legacy in art and philanthropy, making a transformative bequest to the AIC in 1997, and funding a curatorial position in Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the AIC in 2006.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related dish illustrated by Shigeo Hirachi, Nabeshima, Ko-Imari + Himetani: Watashi no korekushon, p. 78, no 69.

Auction comparison:
Compare a related Nabeshima dish, dated 18^th century, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 22 September 2005, New York, lot 422 (sold for USD 33,600). Compare a related Nabeshima dish, dated to the late 17^th century, at Sotheby’s, Fine Japanese Art, 5 November 2019, London, lot 73 (estimate GBP 18,000-25,000).