The first, a round iron armourer’s tsuba pierced with a toy; the second, an irregular mokko iron tsuba with indentations; the third, a round iron tsuba pierced with interlocking circles; the fourth, a rounded iron shingen tsuba of six lobes separated with boar’s eye piercings with inlaid brass wire mukade; the fifth, a rounded-square iron tsuba with fishermen in a mountainous landscape, gilt and silver details; the sixth, a round iron tsuba with brass inlay of flowers and foliage; the seventh, a round iron tsuba pierced with hatchets, gilt fukurin
9.7 cm., 8.7 cm., 8.5 cm., 8.3 cm., 7.8 cm., 9.3 cm. and 7.3 cm., high respectively

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Lot Essay

Willem Dolphyn (1935-2016)

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 katana at the age of fifteen, which he found in an umbrella stand at the marché aux puces (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.