Description
With Original Tomobako
From our Japanese collection, we are delighted to introduce this Japanese Plique-à-jour Cloisonne Enamel Vase by the Ando Company. The vase of squat globular form beautifully decorated with light green transparent ground and various polychrome blossoming flowers with bright foliage. The vase is mounted with silver plate top rim and foot rim and is contained with the original wooden tomobako which is engraved to the base “Ando Cloisonne Company”. The Japanese Plique-à-jour Cloisonne Enamel Vase by the Ando Company dates to the middle of the 20th century during the early Showa period (1945–1989) circa 1950.
Tomobako
is the name for the wooden boxes in which Japanese artworks, ranging from paintings, small sculptures, ceramics, porcelains and lacquer works are stored.
Plique-à-jour
(French for “letting in daylight”) is a delicate enamelling technique that creates a stained glass-like effect in metalwork, often seen in fine jewellery and decorative art. Plique-à-jour is similar to cloisonné enamel, where enamel is held within metal compartments, plique-à-jour uses fine metal framework to hold the enamel however, unlike cloisonné, it lacks a backing, allowing light to pass through the translucent or transparent enamel, enhancing its luminosity and colour. Plique-à-jour is a very challenging technique, it was very popular in Art Nouveau jewellery in Europe and objects in Japan from the Meiji Period onwards, it is highly prized and collected for its complexity and beauty.
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 Showa 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
9cm High x 9cm Diameter (3.54 Inches)
Condition
Excellent
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