Malcolm Fairley is a London dealer in Japanese works of art with more than four decades in the field. He began his career at Sotheby's in the 1970s and in 1979 became head of the Japanese department at Sotheby's Belgravia, where he concentrated on the art of the Meiji period. He later joined Barry Davies Oriental Art and, with the late Dr Oliver Impey of the Ashmolean Museum, edited Meiji no Takara: Treasures of Imperial Japan, the multi-volume catalogue of the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art. He opened his own gallery in St James's in 1997.

The gallery specialises in Japanese decorative art of the Meiji period (1868–1912), alongside selected works from the Edo and Taishō periods. The collection spans cloisonné enamel, metalwork and bronzes, lacquer, ceramics including Satsuma ware, silk embroideries and textiles, painted screens, inrō and armour, together with a small number of contemporary pieces.

Works from the gallery have entered public collections including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Ashmolean Museum in the UK, and the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam  and the Hahn Museum in Florida in the United States.

Yes. The gallery holds regular selling exhibitions in St James's, each accompanied by a printed or online catalogue and has also taken part in fairs including TEFAF Maastricht, the International Asian Art Fair New York, Asian Art in London, Fine Art Asia Hong Kong and the Treasure House Fair. Back copies of earlier exhibition catalogues can be ordered by contacting the gallery. Details of the current and recent exhibitions are on the Exhibitions page.

Sign up to our newsletter, at the foot of any page, for early notice of new additions to the collection, exhibition announcements and digital catalogues. The Latest Additions page is also updated as new works arrive.

The gallery is at 40 Bury Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6AU, a short walk from Green Park and Piccadilly Circus Underground stations and close to the auction rooms and dealers of St James's and Mayfair.

The gallery is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm. We recommend arranging your visit in advance, and private viewings outside these hours can be made by appointment on +44 (0)20 7930 8770 or at malcolmgfairley@aol.com.

Yes. Many of our clients are based overseas and buy from the online collection, from catalogue images, or after requesting further photographs and a condition report. We can arrange fully insured packing and shipping worldwide and can advise on and organise export documentation.

Of course. We are happy to provide additional photographs, measurements, condition notes and any known provenance or literature for any work in the collection. Please get in touch by email or telephone.

UK anti-money laundering regulations require art market participants to carry out due diligence on any purchase at or above €10,000. For individuals this means verifying name, date of birth, nationality and address with passport identification and proof of address; for companies, charities and trusts it includes registration details and beneficial ownership. The checks apply to new and existing clients alike and all information is held in confidence. Full details are on our AML Regulations page.

We are always interested to hear from private collectors and estates with Meiji period works of art of the highest quality. Please email clear photographs, measurements and any marks or signatures and we will reply in confidence.

We are happy to give an informal opinion on Japanese works of art from photographs, however we do not offer formal written valuations for insurance or probate.

The Meiji period (1868–1912) began with the restoration of imperial rule and Japan's rapid opening to the West. With the samurai class dissolved and the wearing of swords banned in 1876, many of the finest metalworkers, lacquerers and enamellers turned their skills to decorative objects, often made for the great international exhibitions in Vienna, Paris and Chicago. Supported by state patronage and from 1890, the appointment of Imperial Household Artists (Teishitsu Gigei-in), Japanese craftsmanship reached a level of technical refinement that is widely regarded as unsurpassed.

Cloisonné (shippō) is made by fixing fine wires to a metal body to form compartments, which are filled with coloured enamel paste, fired and then polished. Meiji enamellers transformed the technique, achieving near-translucent colours and painterly effects. The two greatest exponents, both Imperial Household Artists, were Namikawa Yasuyuki in Kyoto, celebrated for his exquisitely wired designs, and Namikawa Sōsuke in Tokyo, who developed "wireless" (musen) enamel with soft, brushstroke-like gradations.

Japanese lacquer (urushi) is the refined sap of the lacquer tree, applied in many thin layers, each dried and polished before the next. Its most admired decorative technique is maki-e, in which gold and silver powders are sprinkled onto wet lacquer to build pictures of remarkable depth. Masters of the late Edo and Meiji periods, such as Shibata Zeshin, extended the medium with new textures and subtle, painterly compositions.

An inrō is a small container of nested compartments, worn hanging from the sash (obi) of a kimono, since traditional dress had no pockets. It was held by a silk cord threaded through an ojime bead and secured with a netsuke toggle. Most were made of lacquer during the Edo period and became showpieces of the lacquer artists, prized by collectors today as miniature masterpieces.

Satsuma ware takes its name from the Satsuma domain in southern Kyūshū, where Korean potters established kilns in the late sixteenth century. The finely crackled, ivory-glazed earthenware decorated with polychrome enamels and gold that collectors know today was developed largely for export during the Meiji period. The finest pieces, by decorators such as Yabu Meizan and the Kinkozan workshop, are painted with astonishing miniature detail.

They are two of the alloys that give Japanese metalwork its distinctive palette. Shakudō, copper with a small proportion of gold, patinated to a deep lustrous black, while shibuichi, copper with silver, takes on a soft silvery grey. Combined with gold, silver and copper inlays, they allowed Meiji metalworkers to "paint" in metal on vases, boxes and sculpture.

The best starting point is to look at as much as possible, in museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum, in exhibition catalogues and in person at specialist galleries, so that your eye becomes attuned to quality. Many collectors begin with a single medium that speaks to them, whether cloisonné, lacquer or metalwork and build knowledge from there. We are always glad to talk through the collection with new collectors, without obligation and we have helped many individuals build their collections with the highest quality.

Quality of workmanship matters above all, followed by condition, the reputation of the artist or workshop, rarity and provenance. A signed piece by a recognised master such as Namikawa Yasuyuki will generally command more than an unsigned work, but an exceptional unsigned object can still be highly desirable. Restoration, wear to lacquer or enamel and later alterations all affect value.

Buy from a specialist who stands behind their descriptions. Every work we offer is selected and described on the basis of more than forty years' handling of Japanese works of art, with its condition and any known provenance set out clearly. Be cautious of signatures alone, as the names of celebrated Meiji artists were widely copied and judge a piece first on the quality of its execution.

Keep works away from direct sunlight, radiators and sudden changes in temperature and humidity, which can fade and crack lacquer in particular. Dust gently with a soft brush or cloth, avoid polishes and cleaning products, and handle metalwork with clean cotton gloves to protect patinated surfaces. For anything more than light dusting, seek the advice of a specialist conservator.

Selected pieces are available to view online and can be browsed by category, including cloisonné Enamels, Metalwork, Lacquer, Ceramics, Textiles and Inrō, and our latest exhibition catalogue is available to view online. To view the full collection please visit us in the gallery.