Satsuma vase, Japan, Meiji to Taishō period, 1868-1926

Satsuma vase
Japan
Meiji to Taishō period, 1868-1926
Height 13 cm
Marked on the base in the shape of a wheel cross (Shimazu clan)

Two-handled bulging vase in the shape of an archaic Chinese bronze vessel. High-gloss "Gosu" cobalt blue ground with floral decoration in overglaze gold, the front and back each with a light-coloured panel with polychrome pictorial depiction. The front shows four children in a room with a large birdcage in the centre. Two of the children are busy with the animal. This depiction also has plenty of golden accents, including the gold-speckled background. The panel on the reverse is somewhat more sparingly gilded; the landscape with the river and houses is effective here due to its colourfulness.
If the piece did not have a golden wheel cross-shaped mark of the Shimazu clan, which provided the daimyōs of Satsuma, at the bottom, it could easily be mistaken for a product from the famous workshop of Kinkōzan Sōbei in Kyōto in terms of style and fineness of execution. The square stamp in gold on a red background also imitates the appearance of some Kinkōzan stamps, but bears a different text, of which unfortunately only the right-hand part can be deciphered as "Great Japan". Remnants of European numerals in ink can still be seen below the stamp, possibly once an inventory number.