Large 19th Century Meiji Period Porcelain Sculpture of a Holy Monk from Satsuma, Japan, Late 1800s

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Description

Item description:
beautiful hard-paste porcelain sculpture, entirely hand-decorated with light bas-relief decorations, finished in pure gold and glazed with a … Read more Item description:
beautiful hard-paste porcelain sculpture, entirely hand-decorated with light bas-relief decorations, finished in pure gold and glazed with a third firing, dating from around the end of the 19th century, made in japan by the satsuma factory. There is a japanese ideogram in red near the base, which i presume is the signature of the artist or the manufacturer.

final considerations on the item:
our item belonged to the furnishings of the noble palace at via cola di rienzo 15 in rome, which was sold by the babbuino auction house in 1976. Our santone was even featured on the back cover of the auction catalog and was attributed by the auction expert, as shown in the photo, to the japanese satsuma factory and dated to the 19th century. The artistic quality of the object is extremely high. Note the beauty of the decorations on the robe, all made in high relief, each one handcrafted by the decorator. The sculpture was finished with such a quantity of pure gold that the gilded parts are particularly luminous.

information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
the origins of satsuma porcelain most likely date back to the late 16th or early 17th century, after the japanese invasions of korea and the deportation of korean potters to the satsuma region. While in the early centuries the use of this porcelain was limited to everyday activities, after the 1867 world's fair, interest grew among the general public in the west: this prompted artisans to develop mass production aimed at export. But not everyone allowed the quality of craftsmanship to be compromised for the sake of the export market: some artists, such as taizan yohei ix, itō tōzan, kinkōzan sōbei vi, yabu meizan, chin jukan xii, miyagawa kōzan (makuzu), seikozan, and ryozan, distinguished themselves by their desire to revive traditional craftsmanship and decorations. The work of satsuma artisans continued until the end of the 20th century. Although the oldest pieces do not bear any markings, it is possible to identify the more recent ones, dating from the mid-19th century to the 20th century, by the different marks applied by each artist, mostly in japanese, rarely with letters of the latin alphabet.


this piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less