EDO PERIOD (18TH - 19TH CENTURY)

Name: AN AIKUCHI SHINSHINTO TANTO
Brand: EDO PERIOD (18TH - 19TH CENTURY)
Price: 9500.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 11,875

Estimate

GBP 2,000 - GBP 3,000

Closed: 13 Dec 2017

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AN AIKUCHI SHINSHINTO TANTO

EDO PERIOD (18TH - 19TH CENTURY)

Price Realised GBP 11,875

Closed: 13 Dec 2017

Price Realised GBP 11,875

Closed: 13 Dec 2017

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

Sugata [configuration]: almost muzori hirazukuri with iori-mune
Kitae [forging pattern]: tight itame hada almost masame
Hamon [tempering pattern]: suguha with o-maru boshi in konie
Boshi [tip]: deep ko-maru
Nakago [tang]: ubu, kurijiri with yoko-yasuri, mumei, single mekugi-ana
Habaki [collar]: shakudo
Koshirae [mounting]: the blade in shirasaya [plain wood scabbard]; an aikuchi koshirae, tsuka [hilt] and saya [scabbard] deeply mottled red lacquer with Tokugawa mon [family crests] in silver and gold makie, substantial tsuka and saya fittings of silver with engraved leafy chrysanthemums, the kozuka silver with Yotsume mon (family crests with rhomboids) and leafy scrolling
22.5 cm. long (blade); 43 cm. long (koshirae)
Machi-haba (blade width at the bottom): 2.2 cm.

Please note this lot is the property of a private consignor.

Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

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Lot Essay

Willem Dolphyn was born in 1935 in Antwerp, Belgium. He grew up in an exceptional artistic environment where collecting art and antiques was a way of life. His father Victor Dolphyn was a painter and taught at the Royal Academy of art, and his grandfather, Willem Elsschot, was a well-known Flemish writer.

As a child, during the difficult war years, Willem drew pages full of incredibly detailed war scenes. Later, he earned a living creating illustrations including book illustrations and comic strips. He started his painting career in the sixties and his first exhibition in Antwerp was followed by many others around the world, including London, Monaco, and Japan.

His fascination with miniatures and his incredible eye for detail resulted in his love for the fine detail and precision of Japanese works of art, in particular swords and armour. He bought his first at the age of fifteen, which he found in an umbrella stand at the (fleamarket) in Paris. This was the beginning of his large collection that he built up over many years and was later continued by his son. He passed not only his talent for painting on to Walter, but also his passion for collecting.

In 1984, Willem co-founded and chaired the Token Society of Belgium, an organisation dedicated to the study and preservation of Japanese armour, swords, and sword-fittings. He stayed an active member until his passing in 2016.