Since as early as the Heian period (794-1185), the decoration of lacquer has adorned the raiment of the samurai; perhaps earlier still is the acknowledgement that mastery of both the martial and literary arts was necessary to become a true warrior, or bushi. Unifying these parallel traditions, the late Saporta developed a rigorous connoisseurship viewing samurai objects not merely as instruments of war, but as symbols of authority and mediums for personal expression.

Saporta’s devotion to collecting began in childhood. A young practitioner of judo, he was soon captivated by the lore and legend of Japanese warriors, compelled by the visions of samurai depicted in the early films of Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998): Rashomon (1950) and Seven Samurai (1954). He purchased his first armour at a modest price at the flea market in Saint-Ouen, Paris; an acquisition of a second armour shortly followed. By the age of eighteen, Saporta made his first significant purchase. Visiting the apartment of the renowned dealer Monsieur Aoyama on the Quai Saint-Michel, Saporta was struck by the sight of objects of extraordinary rarity and quality on display. Among them was one familiar object: an iron helmet of unusual form, shaped to represent a sacred tama pearl surrounded by flames [fig. 1.]. The piece was known to the young Saporta through reproductions in Louis Gonse’s (1846-1921) seminal work on Japanese art: L’Art Japonais (1883). The acquisition of this helmet marked a turning point in the formation of Saporta’s collection.

Through close relationships with participants in the Parisian market, and connoisseurs of Japanese samurai arts, Saporta soon expanded his collection. Specialised dealers, such as Souquet and Pader, as well as engagement with auction houses, lead to acquisitions of remarkable objects, such as a Nanban [lit. Southern Barbarians] inspired mask depicting a Portuguese figure with elongated nose. At a time when the availability of such objects was rare, and literature on such materials was scarce, Saporta’s intimacy with this active circle of Japanese art devotees was vital in securing quality works for his collection, which by the early 1970s, already included several armours, helmets, masks and swords.

It was around this time when the emergence of new participants re-shaped the landscape of the Japanese art market in Europe. Relationships with other collectors and dealers – most notably Bernard Le Dauphin – opened avenues for collaboration and access to previously unattainable objects; while publications, such as John Anderson’s Japanese Armour: An Illustrated Guide to the Work of the Myochin and Saotome Families from the 15th to the 20th Century (1968), providing one of the earliest specialised studies on the subject, further catalysed interest. Key exhibitions, such as Arms and Armor of Ancient Japan at the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, in 1979, allowed Western audiences to view pieces that had rarely left Japan. Subsequent events in New York and Washington, including exhibitions of eccentrically-shaped helmets (kawari kabuto) and collections of prominent collectors, further elevated public awareness and scholarly engagement. Saporta amassed the substantial core of his collection during this time.

Parallel to the development of his armour collection, Saporta cultivated an interest in Japanese lacquer and Nanban objects. His exposure to two Nanban shrines (seigan) dating from the Momoyama (1573-1615) and early Edo periods (1615-1868) – one depicting Christ with the crown of thorns, the other Saint Catherine of Alexandria – introduced him to a form of Japanese decorative art that had been both highly prized and almost entirely destroyed during the early seventeenth century due to the religious persecution of the Christians.

Early lacquers were primarily devoted to Buddhist statuary and monastic life, including the Negoro lacquers, but from the fifteenth century onwards their scope and decorative complexity expanded. Artists such as Tawaraya Sotatsu (1570-1643) and Hon’ami Koetsu (1558-1637) transformed lacquer into a medium of modern expression, integrating advances in painting, calligraphy and ceramic techniques. Subsequent masters, including Ogata Korin (1658-1716), continued to innovate with the medium, creating works distinguished by their formal refinement, inventiveness, and thematic engagement with nature, mythology, and daily life, pathing the way to what is known as the Rimpa school whose influence can be seen in a number of objects in the collection.

Western appreciation of Japanese lacquer emerged with the first dedicated collectors appearing in Europe and the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These collections, assembled prior to the full-scale Westernisation of Japan, preserve examples of a pre-industrial aesthetic that is markedly distinct from the later Meiji period (1868-1912). Collectors such as brothers Edmond de Goncourt (1822-1896) and Jules de Goncourt (1830-1870) [fig. 2] in France and Alfred Baur (1865-1951) in Switzerland, as well as private collections dispersed in the United States, played a crucial role in shaping European and American perceptions of Japanese decorative arts. The aesthetic principles of simplicity, functionality, and creativity evident in these works exerted a profound influence on Western movements such as Impressionism and Art Nouveau, influencing painting, furniture, ceramics, metalwork, glass, and architecture.

The Saporta collection was not conceived as a purely functional survey of armour as a defensive object. Rather, it approached armour as an expression of power and as a vehicle for artistic creation. Saporta constantly sought objects of profound meaning and emotional resonance.

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Auction at Dreweatts Newbury: Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
Wednesday 11 February 2026, 2pm GMT 

Viewing at Dreweatts London: 16-17 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5LU

Friday 6 February: 10am-7pm
Saturday 7 February: 10am-4pm
Sunday 8 February: 10am-4pm
Monday 9 February: 10am-4pm
Tuesday 10 February: 10am-4pm

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