A rare pair of early enamelled vases and covers

Edo period, mid–late 17th century, Japan

Height: 20cm, 7.87inches

Each similarly decorated in iron-red, green, yellow, blue and black enamels and underglazed blue in the Kakeimon manner with birds among flowers and foliage, the neck with a band of shippo-hanabishi, the covers with further birds among flowers.

Similar Examples

For a similar example in the J.M. Van Diepen Foundation, Fraeylemaborg, Slochteren see Christiaan J.A. Jorg, Fine and Curious, Japanese Export Porcelain, (Amsterdam, 2003), pl.45.p. 61. It is mentioned that the flying bird and large flowers evoke the scenes with water fowl seen on Chinese Kraak porcelain, while the bird sitting on a branch on a branch is related to the depictions on Kakeimon porcelain. A further example in the collection of the British Museum is illustrated Soame Jenyns Japanese Porcelain (London, 1965) pl. no. 32B.