NATURALISTIC TEA SERVICE Japan, around 1890 (Meiji period). Probably Sadajiro Musashiya manufactory. Comprising: teapot, water jug, bowl, lidded bowl, tea strainer, tray, in original wooden box. All of the pieces are highly detailed and naturalistically designed in the form of lotus flowers and stamps with insects, frogs and snails. The design of this tea service follows the tradition of Japanese ivory and wood carvings. L Tray 41.5 cm, total 3230 g. Provenance: - Probably Johann Rudolf Merian-Zaeslin (1845-1906) - Julie Kiku Merian (1891-1971), probably received from the above - Privately owned in Basel since 1971, preserved from the estate of the above The teapot, bowl, lidded bowl, water jug and tray all bear a stamped hallmark M.S. In more recent research, only the use of the hallmark S.M. by the silversmith Sadajiro Musashiya is known to date. However, stylistic comparisons as well as the provenance of the tea service allow the conclusion that it is a Japanese silversmith's work from this company. The service comes from the estate of Julie Kiku Merian, known as Kiku. She was the daughter of Johann Rudolf Merian-Zaeslin, a successful silk merchant from Basel, who spent most of his trading time in Yokohama, Japan. It is not clear how the service came into the possession of the Merian family. It is quite conceivable that Johann Rudolf Merian acquired the ensemble himself and bequeathed it to his daughter Kiku as an heirloom. This is because many so-called overseas travellers, businessmen who were active in East Asia and Southeast Asia in the second half of the 19th century, contributed to countless Asian art objects and cultural artefacts being imported into Switzerland and entering private and museum collections.