Description A PAIR OF CAST IRON SAKE EWERS CHOSHI, EDOJapan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The octagonal iron bodies raised on three short stubby feet, the circular rim with a patterned border, a partially open spout and fixed handle; each side of the body carved in relief with a different scene depicting pavilions by the sea, bridges, and trees. The black lacquered lids decorated in red and golden hiramaki-e with floral sprays and surmounted by a metal knob. Such kettles are used to heat sake up and serve it warm in the cold season.Condition: Very good condition with minor surface wear and minor flakes to the lacquer around the edges.Provenance: Family collection of either Felix Tikotin (1893-1986) or his son-in-law Louis (Loek) Borensztajn (1935-2021), Netherlands. Felix Tikotin (1893-1986) was an architect, art collector, dealer, and founder of the first Museum of Japanese Art in the Middle East. He became one of the world's leading collectors of Japanese art, starting at the age of 18, and continued to collect and work as an art dealer in Berlin in the 1920s. In the 1930s Felix Tikotin fled from the Nazis and hid his collection in the Netherlands. After the war, he decided that his collection should be taken to Israel, where in 1959 and with the help of Abba Hushi, who was the mayor of Haifa, The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art was established. The Museum's collection comprises more than 8,000 items of art and crafts.Weight: 1545 g in totalDimensions: Height 15.5 cm each