209 - KINKOZAN: A SUPERB SATSUMA CERAMIC ‘DOVES BENEATH A FLOWERING CHERRY TREE’ VASE

KINKOZAN: A SUPERB SATSUMA CERAMIC ‘DOVES BENEATH A FLOWERING CHERRY TREE’ VASE By the Kinkozan company, signed and sealed Kinkozan zo Japan, early 20th century, late Meiji (1868-1912) to Taisho period (1912-1926) Finely potted, the elegant baluster body gently tapering toward the foot, with high rounded shoulders rising to a short waisted neck and circular mouth with a thickened rim. The exterior covered in a luminous, finely crackled ivory-white glaze, reminiscent of the finest Yabu Meizan wares, and exquisitely painted in bright polychrome enamels with restrained gilt accents. The decoration forms a continuous, unframed naturalistic composition of doves beneath a flowering cherry tree, the birds pecking and foraging amid leafy bamboo and flowering shrubs, while blossom-laden branches sweep gracefully across the upper body. Particularly striking is the unusually spacious arrangement, leaving broad passages of the pristine white crackled ground exposed and lending the decoration a refined, almost painterly quality. The base signed in fine gold KINKOZAN zo [made by Kinkozan] within a painted reserve and further impressed KINKOZAN zo [made by Kinkozan]. HEIGHT 20.9 cm Provenance: From a French private collection, the underside bearing an old label from Artcurial, Paris. Condition: Excellent condition, with no restorations or repairs visible under UV light. Only very minor typical rubbing to the gilding. The Kinkozan company was among the most successful producers of so-called Kyo-Satsuma (Kyoto Satsuma) wares. Like their counterparts in Osaka, Yokohama, and Tokyo, Kinkozan’s production reflects Kyoto’s response to strong Western demand for finely painted Japanese ceramics during the Meiji period. Following the international exposure of Japanese art at the Paris Exposition of 1867, the rise of Japonisme in Europe led to a significant increase in exports, with Kinkozan wares admired for their delicate brushwork, refined compositions, and harmonious use of color and gold. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Satsuma vase by the Kinkozan studio, similarly decorated in polychrome enamels and gilt on an extensive finely crackled white ground, with a comparable naturalistic composition and of similar size, 21.5 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Works of Art, 16 September 2014, New York, lot 2220 (sold for USD 35,000 or approx. EUR 44,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).