Description
Fifteen Piece Tea Set
From our Japanese collection, we are delighted to offer this Antique Japanese Meiji Period Cloisonne Enamel Tea Set executed in the Chinese style. The Tea Set comprises of fifteen pieces including six cup and saucers, a lidded teapot, a lidded sugar pot and a milk jug. The Tea Set has been extensively inlaid with varying gauge wire depicting roundels, fan shapes and clouds of varying images. Each piece has a border of ‘fish scale’ cloisonne with a mottled yellow green, a back glaze of gold tightly knitted spirals and multiple floating scenes with flowers including iris, cherry blossom and maple, animals including bats and mythical dragons and, landscape scenes with traditional Japanese buildings. The pieces are finished with imperial style Japanese Kiku (Chrysanthemum) icons inlaid with various colours. The Tea Set has been finished to a high standard with gilded interiors, foot rims and inner handles. The Two lidded pieces are surmounted with Kiku (Chrysanthemum) flowers. The Tea Set dates to the early 20th century, late Meiji Period (1868-1912) circa 1910.
Provenance accompanying the Tea Set is a headed letter from Kyoto Gallery of Oriental Art in Brussels Belguim dated 1985. The letter reads (translated) A STANDARD CLOISONNE coffee service (yusen-jippo type.) with golden copper wire. The smooth parts are also golden. Very detailed and fine decoration of fans and chrysanthemums, in Chinese style (worked on the entire surface), but with traditional Japanese motifs executed in multi-colored enamel. Japan, early 20th century.
Value: FB 150,000 (converted to approximately £3,180.9 GBP in 1985). The letter is signed by the Antique expert, we have blanked out any private information on the letter however the original copy will accompany the piece when sold.
Meiji Period was an era of Japanese history that spanned from 1868 to 1912. It was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people began to build a paradigm of a modern, industrialised nation state and emergent great power, influenced by Western countries and aesthetics. As a result of radically different ideas, the changes to Japan were profound and it affected the social structure, politics, economy, military, and foreign relations across the board. The period corresponded to the reign of Emperor Meiji and was preceded by the Keio era and was succeeded by the Taisho era.
Cloisonne is a technique of decorating metalwork objects with coloured material separated by wire often made from precious metals. In the first instance the decoration is formed by creating a stencil on the metal object by affixing wires to the surface which will be visible once the product is finished allowing the artisan to craft beautiful scenes such as blossoming flowers or mythical animals by filling in the spaces with various colours. For further information please see our news article ‘Cloisonne | A Japanese Masterpiece‘.
Antique a collectable object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has a high value because of its age and quality. Objects of this nature are generally considered antique at 100 plus years of age.
Condition Very Good, minor gilding wear to the rims, No restoration
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