184 - A LARGE MUSEN CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘TAISHAKUGAWA GORGE’ PRESENTATION VASE

A LARGE MUSEN CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘TAISHAKUGAWA GORGE’ PRESENTATION VASE Commissioned by the Mitsukoshi company, with the Mitsukoshi company seal mark Japan, c. 1924, Taisho period (1912-1926) Finely crafted, the elegant baluster body supported on a splayed foot and rising through high, rounded shoulders to a slightly waisted neck with an everted rim and broad circular mouth, the mouth and foot fitted with silver mounts. The exterior finely decorated in vivid polychrome enamels with a picturesque landscape of Taishaku Gorge, a slender wooden bridge spanning the deep ravine between steep, rocky cliffs covered in lush vegetation. The mountains and densely wooded slopes are delicately rendered in subtle shades of green, gray, and blue using the musen (wireless) technique, creating atmospheric gradations against a luminous sky-blue ground. The composition is framed below by a stylized wave border encircling the foot and above by a geometric kotobuki, or longevity, border around the mouth. Inscriptions: to the base, Taishaku-gawa Hatsudensho rakusei kinen, San'yo Chuo Suiden Kabushiki Gaisha [Commemorating the completion of the Taishakugawa Hydroelectric Power Station, Sanyo Chuo Suiden Co. Ltd.], with the seal of Mitsukoshi. HEIGHT 36.8 cm WEIGHT 2.6 kg Condition: Excellent condition with no visible damage or signs of restoration (checked under UV light). Minor manufacturing irregularities, including a small burst bubble in the enamel near the shoulder, and slight wear to the metal mounts. Mitsukoshi traces its origins to the Echigoya drapery business founded by Mitsui Takatoshi in 1673, which became Japan's first modern department store in 1904. During the late Meiji and Taisho periods, the company established itself as a leading purveyor of luxury goods and fine Japanese decorative arts, commissioning works from highly skilled independent artists and specialist workshops. The present vase was commissioned through Mitsukoshi from an unidentified cloisonné workshop, possibly one of the leading manufacturers of the period, such as the Ando Company. Bearing the Mitsukoshi seal, it exemplifies the company's association with refined craftsmanship and prestigious commemorative presentation pieces. The Taishaku Gorge, in Hiroshima Prefecture, is celebrated for its spectacular limestone cliffs, densely forested mountains, and dramatic river scenery. In 1924, the completion of the Taishakugawa Dam, then the tallest in Japan at 56.4 meters, transformed part of the gorge into the picturesque Shinryu Lake. The present vase was created as a commemorative presentation piece to mark the completion of the associated hydroelectric power station by the Sanyo Chuo Suiden Company, as recorded by the inscription on its base. Its finely rendered landscape thus celebrates both the natural beauty of the region and a remarkable achievement of modern Japanese engineering. Musen, literally ‘wireless,’ is a sophisticated cloisonné technique in which the wires separating individual areas of enamel are removed before the final firing, allowing colors to merge into soft, painterly gradations. Particularly suited to landscape compositions, the technique enables the subtle rendering of atmospheric effects, as beautifully demonstrated by the misty cliffs and wooded mountains of the present vase. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related pair of cloisonné enamel presentation vases by the Ando Jubei studio, decorated in musen enamels and silver wire with views of Nagoya Castle and the Third Divisional Barracks in Nagoya, presented in June 1917, each 37 cm high, at Christie's, The Avo Krikorian Collection: Innovation and Inspiration of Meiji Period Design, Zurich, 19 February 2007, lot 205 (sold for CHF 48,000 or approx. EUR 56,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).