Arthur & Bond (1889-1923)

Fine Art and Silverware Merchants in Yokohama

Arthur & Bond was an English-owned firm based in Yokohama, renowned in the late 19th and early 20th century for fine silverware and luxury goods. Founded in 1889 by Horace Frank Arthur and joined a year later by William Robert Bond, the business operated as Arthur & Bond’s Fine Art Gallery, specialising in silver, porcelain, cloisonné, gold lacquer, carved ivory, embroidery, furniture, and other high-quality decorative works aimed at both tourists and the expatriate community.

Japanese Solid Silver Tea Set by Akira Mimatsu for Arthur & Bond Available at Jacksons Antique 

In 1895, Bond departed and Arthur became sole proprietor, expanding operations to London and later opening a Kobe branch managed by Lawrence D. Abraham. The firm grew to become Yokohama’s largest curio dealer, employing long-serving staff such as Ch. A. Aslet and gaining an international reputation for quality.A highlight of their work was the Liscum Bowl, commissioned in 1902 by the United States 9th Infantry Regiment in memory of Colonel Liscum, who was killed at Tientsin during the Boxer Rebellion. Made from captured Chinese silver, the grand bowl featured four dragon-form handles, a matching ladle, and a circular tray. It weighed 90 pounds, held 14 gallons, and bore the engraved names of the regiment’s personnel. The piece remains one of the most important examples of military silver of its era. In 1920, after three decades in business, Arthur sold the company to Dan F. Morrison and R. E. Thompson, who shifted focus to exporting silk garments and opened branches in San Francisco and New York. However, the business was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and did not reopen.

Close up of the incredible detailed silver teapot 

Today, Arthur & Bond is remembered as one of the most prominent foreign-run silversmiths in Japan’s Meiji and Taisho periods, producing work that continues to be sought after by collectors worldwide.