Bidspirit auction | MAYUYAMA, SEVENTY YEARS. Tokyo. Mayuyama

MAYUYAMA, SEVENTY YEARS. Tokyo. Mayuyama & Co. 1976. 2 vols. (4) - IV - (2) 475 pp.; (6) 339 (1) pp. Bd. - First edition. A bilingual work in English and Japanese, these two volumes were published to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Mayuyama Fine Arts and Antiques store. This luxurious edition was originally intended solely for clients and was never offered for public sale. Across its pages are gathered works acquired and traded by the house over the years — in total, more than 2,100 objects are illustrated and described. The first volume focuses primarily on early Chinese ceramics, while the second covers jade, bronze, stone sculpture, and Chinese painting, as well as masterpieces from Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Persia. It remains an essential reference work for dealers and collectors in the field, now exceedingly rare. Mayuyama & Co., Ltd. was founded by the young Japanese entrepreneur Matsutarō Mayuyama (1882–1935) and specialises in Asian art and antiques, particularly Chinese ceramics. In April 1905, at the age of twenty-two, Matsutarō travelled to Beijing to begin his antiques business, taking advantage of the flourishing Asian art market then emerging in response to Western interest and the discovery of antiquities in China. Born into a poor family in Yatsuo, Toyama, Matsutarō attended school only up to the eighth grade and, before finding his vocation, spent more than a decade in various poorly paid jobs. During that time, he worked for a dealer in second-hand goods in Toyama, where he first became inspired to devote himself to Chinese antiquities. Through that connection, he met Yoshitarō Jintsu, who helped him travel to Beijing, where he initially worked as a clerk at the Hayashi Hotel. In 1905 he made his first successful transaction — purchasing a Hakamagoshi no Koro (incense burner) that yielded him a good profit — convincing him to continue as an art dealer. In 1916 he returned to Japan and opened a shop in Tokyo’s Ginza district. In 1920 he moved to the current location in Kyobashi, Chūō-ku. The company later continued under the leadership of his eldest son, Jun’kichi Mayuyama (1913–1999), who greatly expanded Mayuyama’s international presence, particularly in the North American market. Museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Seattle Art Museum, and the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired works through Mayuyama. Today, Mayuyama & Co. enjoys worldwide renown as one of the most prestigious dealers in ancient Asian art, founded upon a refined eye for quality and a century-long tradition of trust among collectors and institutions. Very good overall condition.