Antique Japanese Satsuma Style Moriage Cobalt Blue Floral Double Handle Vase

Details

Description

An unusual Japanese Satsuma-style moriage ceramic vase, richly decorated with a deep cobalt-blue ground, large hand-painted floral motifs and elaborate … Read more An unusual Japanese Satsuma-style moriage ceramic vase, richly decorated with a deep cobalt-blue ground, large hand-painted floral motifs and elaborate raised gilt ornamentation.

The substantial baluster-form body is fitted with two applied scrolling handles and finished with a contrasting cream crackle-glazed mouth. Large flowers in shades of pink, rose and lavender are complemented by turquoise-green foliage, while extensive raised gold and bronze-toned decoration forms scrolling leaves, stylized floral elements and dramatic curvilinear motifs across the surface.

The combination of cobalt blue, crackle glaze, raised moriage decoration, gilding and polychrome floral painting is consistent with Japanese Satsuma-style decorative pottery represented in the secondary market. Comparable examples are described as Japanese double-handled moriage and Satsuma-style wares.

The highly stylized flowing decoration also gives the vase a strong Art Nouveau aesthetic, making it particularly appealing as both a collectible Japanese decorative object and an architectural accent piece.

The underside is unglazed around the foot and bears a blue handwritten number, apparently “936.” No identifiable maker's signature is visible in the supplied photographs. Accordingly, the vase is conservatively attributed as Japanese Satsuma-style / moriage pottery rather than to a particular kiln or manufacturer.

The vase displays age-related wear, losses and rubbing to portions of the raised decoration and gilding, along with visible crackling/crazing to the glaze. Please refer closely to the photographs for condition.

Measures: 185 1/2" High x 10 1/2" Wide x 10" Deep

Origin: Probably Japan
Style/Technique: Satsuma-style, Moriage / raised decoration
Period: Not established from the available evidence
Material: Glazed ceramic / pottery
Decoration: Cobalt ground, polychrome floral decoration, raised gilt ornament
Mark: Handwritten blue number, apparently “936”; maker unidentified
Attribution confidence: Moderate for Japanese origin; low for a specific Satsuma kiln See less