Large Japanese Meiji Cloisonne Enamel Copper Vase with Chrysanthemums

East Asia, Japan, Meiji period. A large baluster vase in cloisonne enamel on copper. The ovoid body rises from a flared foot to a tall trumpet neck, and the sky blue ground is crowded with a garden in bloom: pink and apricot chrysanthemums, billowing lilac hydrangeas, white morning glories, bush clover, and maple leaves. A pair of butterflies drifts through the middle of the scene. Every petal and vein is outlined in fine wire, with tonal shading carried within single cells. The neck switches to a soft lavender ground framed by jagged bands of brocade pattern, and matching lappet borders run around the shoulder and the foot. Copper rims at the mouth and base complete the piece. This is the confident, painterly naturalism that made Japanese cloisonne sought after across the Western export market. Japanese cloisonne (shippo) changed almost beyond recognition during the Meiji era. Kaji Tsunekichi of Owari province, near Nagoya, revived the craft in the 1830s by studying Chinese examples. By the 1870s and 1880s, workshops in Nagoya, Kyoto, and Tokyo had refined their enamels and wire work far past the Chinese models. Shaded enamels within a single cell and dense, small-scale wire work allowed pictorial compositions like this flowering garden. Meiji cloisonne was sent to the great world's fairs in Vienna, Philadelphia, Paris, and Chicago, where it became one of Japan's most admired exports. Chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, and morning glories bloom in different seasons, so showing them together is a deliberate decorative convention. A garden of the whole year is gathered on one surface. The chrysanthemum, emblem of the imperial house and of long life, takes the place of honor at the top. Item # 205554

Estimate:£450.18

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