Please help identify maker's mark GMS Namiki lacquer work

[razmaztaz]

Can someone please identify this maker's mark please? It is a small compact sized box, hallmarked for sterling, London, 1936, maker's mark "GMS". The decoration is Japanese "maki-e" lacquer work by the Namiki company (present day Pilot corp). Namiki decorated fountain pens, lighters, desk sets, cigarette cases and other items which were retailed by the luxury houses of the day - Alfred Dunhill, Asprey, Cartier, Tiffany, etc. What is unusual about this item is that from the early 1930s Dunhill had exclusive rights to retail Namiki decorated items in Europe and USA, so this item, if retailed by "GMS" appears to fall outside of this agreement. Its likely the sterling box was made by GMS but retailed by another company. Any help with identifying this maker would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Maz



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[Neruda]

I'm afraid that I can't help with the makers of either of your boxes. However regarding Dunhill's rights, you should note these marks refer to the maker who was responsible for the silver and not necessarily the retailer.

Not familiar with Namiki, I am guessing the silver was first made in England then shipped to Japan for the lacquer work to be applied and finally re-imported and retailed by Dunhill.
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[razmaztaz]

Hi Neruda, Thanks very much for your reply. You are absolutely correct. Its just that almost without exception all silver items retailed by Dunhill in the 1930's bear the AD makers mark for Alfred Dunhill or the Dunhill name. The two pieces I have listed only bear the silversmiths or maker's mark, with no indication of who retailed the items. In the mid 1920s to the early 1930's Namiki placed their items for retail with prominent names such as Dunhill, Cartier, Asprey, Boucheron. R&R and GSM are unknowns in relation to these big names, so, as you say, its unlikely they were the retailers. Thanks again. Maz
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[admin]

Hi Maz,
Prior to your post, I was only aware of Namiki fountain pens and thought the name only indicated a particular style of lacquer finished pens retailed by Dunhill. Thanks for sharing the info on the company.

This type of lacquerware has/had a long tradition in Japan and there must have been other firms and artisans who produced it. If Dunhill struck an exclusivity deal with Namiki, obviously, sales must have been good. Other British silver producers would have known this and it seems likely that they would have sought out alternative "maki-e" artisans to decorate their wares and allow them to compete with or undercut Dunhill.
Is there any trademark on the lacquer work that indicates it is definitely Namiki, or is it only the quality of the workmanship?

Regards, Tom
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[razmaztaz]

Hi Tom,
Namiki decorated items are signed in kanji characters which clearly identify the work to be that of the Namiki company, and also identifies the individual artist. I'm attaching an example - from the back of the compact with the goldfish decoration. Kanji characters are written vertically from top down. On the right, the three characters say Namiki-kan. To the left of these are two characters in gold which give the artists name, and beneath this a red seal, a pictograph artists' signature. Collectively, this is known amongst collectors as the 6-character signature, though sometimes the artists name can be one character only, so there are 5 characters. Some of the earliest Namiki pieces are unsigned, others just have the red seal. After 1938, the Namiki signature changed from "Namiki-kan" to "Kokko-kai", providing a milestone for dating.
The modern day Namiki company (Pilot) still produces and sells lacquer work - mostly pens, which command outrageous prices, and they still use the same 6-character signature. I fear this is probably more information than you wanted! But I'm passionate about collecting this stuff!

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