633 - A delicate Satsuma-koro with a royal blue background with moulded chrysanthemum

A delicate Satsuma-koro with a royal blue background with moulded chrysanthemum Japan, Kyoto, signed ‘Kinkozan’ and four-character press mark, Meiji period H. 29,8 (35) cm Satsuma stoneware with very fine decoration and a blue gosu ground. Handles on the sides in the form of stylised dragons; on the domed lid, a shishi lion with a brocade ball. On both sides, fans depicting landscapes and figures set against blossoms representing the four seasons. On the shoulder, chrysanthemums in relief against a blue background with a dense gold pattern. Satsuma pieces with a royal blue background were produced in limited numbers. Matching openwork carved wooden plinth. An old German private collection; according to tradition, it was given to a family member as a wedding present in 1922 The Kinkozan family is one of Kyoto’s most prominent ceramic dynasties. Its roots date back to the mid-17th century, when the family settled in the Awata pottery district. In 1756, Kobayashi Kihei was appointed official potter to the Tokugawa Shogunate and was given the name ‘Kinkozan’. With the end of the Shogunate in 1868, the workshop lost its traditional patrons. Kinkozan Sōbei VI (1824-1884) responded by reorienting the business towards the Western export market and developed his own variant of Satsuma ware, refined in Kyoto - the Kyō-Satsuma: a cream-coloured crackled glaze with dense polychrome decoration and rich gilding. From 1872 onwards, exports began on a large scale. His son, Kinkozan Sōbei VII (1868-1927),led the business to industrial prosperity: at times employing up to 1,000 workers with a high volume of production, whilst pieces with awere produced only in small numbers. Despite this extensive production, a division-of-labour workshop system was maintained, in which master painters also created exceptional masterpieces - hence the wide range of quality within Kinkozan’s output.masterpieces of a similar nature - hence the wide variation in quality within Kinkozan’s output. The workshop gained international renown at world exhibitions in Paris, St Louis, Liège, Milan, London and Turin. Production came to an end with the death of Sōbei VII in 1927, coinciding with the general decline of Satsuma export ware in the West. To this day, however, Kinkozan is regarded as the best-known name in the Kyō-Satsuma tradition - Very well preserved; the wooden stand has a small chip and an age-related crack