37x16x16 In (Each).

A pair of large Satsuma vases, painted in polychrome enamels and gilt, depicting scenes of courtly life, including groups of figures in traditional dress set against pavilions and landscape backdrops. Floral bands ring the necks and the shoulders are punctuated by rooster-form handles, a motif linked in Shintō belief with the sun goddess Amaterasu and the return of light. The warm, crackled ivory ground and rich gilding are characteristic of Satsuma ware at its height.

Satsuma ware originated in southern Japan in the late 16th century, when Korean potters were brought to Kyushu under the patronage of the Shimazu clan. Working in newly founded workshops, they developed a style that, by the Meiji and Taishō periods, had become one of Japan’s most celebrated exports.

Provenance: The Estate of Mangaldas Nathubhai

Non-exportable