Description
Rare Brandy Glass Shape
From our Japanese collection, we are delighted to offer this Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Vase by the Ando Company. The Cloisonne Enamel Vase of bulbous shape with splayed base decorated with a bold black enamel glaze. Decorated to the centre with a Quail bird amongst blossoming flowers with strong blue tones. The vase striking in colour with the contrast of blue on black. The base of the Cloisonne Enamel Vase is signed with the Shobido company mark and dates to the first half of the 20th century during the Early Showa period Circa 1940.
Shobido was primarily known as a retailer for high-end giftware including yusen-jippo cloisonne. Examples of Shobido cloisonne vases are often very innovative and incorporate many techniques. The mark typically formed in wire in the base and not too dissimilar to the Ando Company mark.
Provenance Sourced from a UK single owner collection of mid century Japanese Cloisonne Enamel.
Ando Cloisonné Company (安藤七宝店) is a Japanese cloisonne making company located in Sakae, Nagoya, central Japan. Founded in the late 19th century by Andō Jubei (Jusaburo 1876-1953) and his brother in law Andō Juzaemon they made the cloisonne company a huge success. They recruited Kawade Shibatarō (1856–1921) a renowned cloisonne artist in his own right to be the head of the Ando Company studio who further developed plique-à-jour technique. During the 30 years of the 20th century Ando company employed over 50 cloisonne artists and the company was given an Imperial Warrant of Appointment to the Japanese court.
Showa period is an era in Japanese history following the Tashio period. The Show period dates from 1926 to 1989 which corresponds to the reign of the emperor Hirohito. The two Chinese characters in the name Showa translate as “Bright Peace” in Japanese. The Showa period was succeeded by the Heisei era (1989-2019).
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‘.
Enamel (vitreous enamel) also known as porcelain enamel, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C. The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating. The word vitreous comes from the Latin vitreous, meaning “glassy”.
Measurements 21cm High x 15cm Wide (8.3 x 5.9 Inches)
Condition Very Good – Small amounts of wear on the rims.
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