Japanese Kutani Porcelain Phoenix Vase | Meiji Period | Late 19th Century

Details

Description

A remarkable Japanese Kutani porcelain phoenix vase dating to the late 19th-century Meiji period (1868–1912), richly hand-painted in the elaborate … Read more A remarkable Japanese Kutani porcelain phoenix vase dating to the late 19th-century Meiji period (1868–1912), richly hand-painted in the elaborate Aka-e and Kinrande decorative traditions for which fine Kutani porcelain became internationally celebrated.

Of broad baluster form, the vase measures 9 1/2 inches high and reaches an impressive 6 1/2 inches at its widest point. Its generously rounded body provides an expansive surface for an extraordinarily dense program of hand-painted decoration incorporating iron-red and green overglaze enamels, extensive gilding, intricate geometric ornament, and prominent pictorial reserves depicting the Ho-o, or Japanese phoenix.

The decoration is particularly accomplished. Brilliant iron-red, green, and gold are organized into successive geometric and diaper-pattern registers surrounding the principal phoenix cartouches. Minute borders, repeating motifs, gilt embellishment, and precisely articulated patterns cover virtually the entire surface, creating the luxurious textile-like appearance associated with Kinrande, literally “gold brocade,” decoration.

The contrast between the freely rendered phoenixes and the disciplined geometry surrounding them gives the vase exceptional visual complexity. Viewed closely, the remarkable precision of the hand-painted ornament becomes apparent; from across a room, the saturated red, green, and gold palette and broad baluster silhouette give the piece considerable decorative presence.

The Ho-o occupies an important place in Japanese artistic tradition. Often described in the West as the Japanese phoenix, the mythical bird has long been associated with virtue, harmony, prosperity, renewal, and peaceful rule. Its appearance within the principal reserves therefore carries both decorative and traditional symbolic significance.

The underside bears the two-character Kutani mark, connecting the vase to one of Japan’s most celebrated traditions of polychrome porcelain. During the Meiji period, Japanese ceramic artists responded to an increasingly international audience with objects of remarkable technical ambition. Kutani workshops became particularly celebrated for intensely worked overglaze enamels, meticulous detail, elaborate gilding, and compositions that brought traditional Japanese imagery together with the extraordinary decorative richness prized during the great period of Japanese decorative arts.

This vase is a particularly compelling expression of that tradition. Although 9 1/2 inches high, its unusually broad 6 1/2-inch body gives it a substantial sculptural profile, while the extraordinary concentration of hand-painted ornament produces an almost jewel-like richness. The result is a work that succeeds equally as a collectible example of Meiji-period Japanese porcelain and as a sophisticated decorative object.

Japan, Meiji period, late 19th century.

Hand-painted porcelain with polychrome overglaze enamels, Aka-e iron-red decoration, and extensive Kinrande-style gilding.

Two-character Kutani mark to the underside. See less