Namiki maki-e, the ancestral Japanese know-how of lacquer

The Namiki Manufacturing Company , founded in 1924 in Japan by Ryosuke Namiki , embodies one of the finest examples of the fusion of Japanese craftsmanship tradition with the demands of modern design. At a time when Japan was asserting its artistic identity on the international stage, Namiki was able to position Japanese lacquerware—and more specifically maki-e , the technique of decorating with gold and silver powders—at the pinnacle of global luxury craftsmanship.

NAMIKI Obano/Steppe, stylo plume de la collection Empereur, adjugé 4 000 € le 16 décembre 2019

Since 1930, in partnership with the prestigious London house Alfred Dunhill Ltd. , the firm has distinguished itself by adapting ancestral Japanese know-how to modern and portable objects: fountain pens, lighters and cigarette cases in particular. All signed by a goldsmith and marketed under the name Dunhill-Namiki Company ,

These objects became emblematic of Japanese Art Deco turned towards the West.

In 1931, Ryosuke Namiki founded the Kokkokai craft group , literally "National Light Society." This elite brotherhood of artisans—which included master lacquer artists such as Shogo, Hoshun, and the very rare Ippa —became the beating heart of Namiki's artistic creation. Each object produced by their hands was signed, demonstrating both absolute technical mastery and a desire to enhance the individuality of the artisan.

According to Andreas Lambrou , a specialist in luxury writing instruments, "the level of excellence achieved by Kokkokai's artisans in the 1930s remains unsurpassed" ( Fountain Pens of the World , 1995). These artists did not simply reproduce traditional motifs; they reinvented them, modernized them, and adapted them to new media while maintaining an aesthetic rigor inspired by Rinpa, Edo naturalism, and the influences of ukiyo-e.

When jewelry meets lacquer

It is in this exceptional context that an object recently rediscovered by Gauchet Art Asiatique is placed: a lacquer bracelet signed by the master Ippa , to this day a unique piece known on the international market .

NAMIKI, Bracelet en or jaune et platine, 1930-1940. Estimation : 3 000 € - 4 000 €. En vente le 30 juin 2025 chez MILLON

To our knowledge, no jewelry from the Namiki workshops has been recorded to date . This bracelet is therefore a discovery of prime importance. Of rare elegance, it presents a hira maki-e (flat maki-e) decoration of extreme finesse, where the master's gesture finds a perfect balance between surface, movement and symbolism. The signature "Ippa" - already encountered on prestigious works - confirms the attribution.

This bracelet is not a simple ornament: it is an object of art in its own right , which brings jewelry closer to the writing object and Japanese decorative arts exported to Europe in the 1930s.

NAMIKI, Bracelet en or jaune et platine, 1930-1940. Estimation : 3 000 € - 4 000 €. En vente le 30 juin 2025 chez MILLON

While no other piece of jewelry of this type is listed, stylistic comparisons can be made with other objects signed Ippa :

• Cigarette case , Bonhams sale, London, May 2012, lot 123: stylized naturalist decoration, hira maki-e technique of great precision.

• Lacquer box , Antiquorum sale, Monaco, July 2017, lot 727: balanced composition, finesse of the lacquer and elegance of the patterns.

These objects confirm the aesthetic coherence of Ippa's hand and underline the exceptional character of the bracelet presented by Millon on June 30, 2025. It could be a special order, probably intended for an informed European collector, at a time when Japanese lacquer was establishing itself as an international art, in an aesthetic dialogue with Art Deco Europe.

The production period of this bracelet corresponds to a time when aesthetic boundaries were blurring: Europe was discovering Japanese art with fascination, while Japanese artisans like those at Namiki were adapting their know-how to Western tastes. This aesthetic blend is reflected in the bracelet's formal balance, its chosen proportions, and its ability to combine tradition and modernity.

As Joe Earle points out in Splendors of Imperial Japan: Arts of the Meiji Period (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2002), "the best Japanese artists of the interwar period were able to combine a fidelity to their tradition with a keen understanding of Western expectations."

This bracelet, with its uniqueness, is the perfect illustration: a hybrid object , both a jewel and a work of art, at the crossroads of worlds.

At Gauchet Art Asiatique , we are committed to offering free, confidential and no-obligation appraisals for any work or object of Japanese art, particularly lacquer pieces attributable to major 20th-century workshops such as Namiki.

If you have a signed object, an antique lacquer, a Namiki pen or a maki-e jewel, our team of experts is at your disposal to:

• Analyze authenticity and signature

• Place the object in its historical context

• Provide a rigorous estimate of its value

📩Contact us via our online form for a free assessment.

Bibliography

• Lambrou, Andreas. Fountain Pens of the World . Antique Collectors' Club, 1995.

• Earle, Joe. Splendors of Imperial Japan: Arts of the Meiji Period . Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2002.

• Wingfield, Louis. The Art of Japanese Maki-e . Kyoto Shoin, 1985.

• Bonhams & Antiquorum, public sales catalogs (2012, 2017).