Kakiemon model of an elephant

Object Details

• Provenance

  ? - to at least 1956

  Sir Harry Mason Garner (1891-1977) and Lady Garner, UK [1]

  ?-1977

  Bluett and Sons, Ltd., London, UK [2]

  1977-2023

  Somlyo Collection, Charlottesville, VA, purchased from Bluett and Sons, Ltd, London, UK [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) was a distinguished mathematician and a famous collector of oriental ceramics, particularly Chinese blue and white porcelain. The object was exhibited in London from March 28 to April 28, 1956, at The Oriental Ceramic Society, Loan Exhibition of Japanese Porcelain, March 28 – April 28, 1956, The Arts Council Gallery, London (no. 277). See catalog entry in Hinton, Mark, Kuniko Matsui and Anastasia von Seibold, Courtly Display: The Somlyo Collection of Japanese Ceramics (London: Christie’s, 2015), 26.

  [2] Drs. Avril and Andrew Somlyo began collecting Japanese porcelain in 1970. According to Dr. Avril Somlyo’s documents, this was purchased on September 23, 1977, from Bluett and Sons, Ltd., London, United Kingdom.

  Bluett and Sons, Ltd., previously Bluett and Songs, was one of the most significant dealers of Chinese art in London during the 1920s and 1930s as well as in the postwar years.

  [3] See Note 2.

  Research updated October 4, 2024

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Courtly Display: The Somlyo Collection of Japanese Ceramics (December 12-19, 2015)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Sir Harry Mason Garner (1891-1977)

  Lady Garner

  Bluett and Sons, Ltd. (active 1884-1992)

  Dr. Avril V. Somlyo

  Dr. Andrew P. Somlyo (1930 - 2004)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Drs. Avril and Andrew Somlyo

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Garner, Harry Mason, Somlyo, Avril V., Garner, Somlyo, Andrew P., Bluett and Sons, Ltd.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Porcelain, Art, Animals, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Elephants

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Sculpture