106 - Koson OHARA (1877–1945) for the VITRACIER-JAPY factory [VINTAGE ADVERTISEMENT]

Koson OHARA (1877–1945) for the VITRACIER-JAPY factory [VINTAGE ADVERTISEMENT] The Cockatoo and the Pomegranate Stencil and lithography on a domed plate Vitracier Japy enameled plate, signed lower right H. 37 cm - W. 25 cm Note: The collaboration between the Japanese master Ohara Shōson (1877–1945) and the French Vitracier Japy factory illustrates a unique convergence between the floral and animal art of the shin-hanga movement and the luxury industrial enamelwork of the interwar period. In the 1920s and 1930s, as Japanese prints exported by the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō captivated the West, the Japy workshops decided to faithfully adapt certain compositions onto enameled steel sheet to demonstrate their technical virtuosity. Two works documented in the art market and in collections of antique enamels bear witness to this project: *The Cockatoo and the Pomegranate* (after the 1927 print) and *The Goldfish*. Created on domed plates measuring approximately 25 × 37 cm, these pieces combine chromolithography on enamel with stenciling to reproduce the original nuances, and bear both the signature of Ohara Shōson and the Vitracier Japy trademark. In the absence of explicit records, the identity of the original patron—whether an importer of Asian art or a prestigious in-house commission—remains unclear to this day, conferring on these very limited editions a coveted status as rarities.