Kaiyosha Takeouchi

Meiji period, 19th century

1870-1885

Vase Pair

A rare pair of jitai jippo vases. These vases are made of porcelain with wire and enamel overlay. Closely wired borders and floral design that seems to be of a pomegranate flower pattern on a dark green ground.

Very few artists worked cloisonné on ceramics due to it being in many respects more costly, needing days to fire pieces because the ceramic bodies would need to be slowly heated and cooled to reduce damage. Enamels on ceramics tend to be dull in colour compared to enamels on a metal substrate. It is believed that ceramic pieces were made at an earlier date around 1870- 1890 and the European market wanting the enamels on metal bodies more than ceramic leading to less investment and development in its technique.

One of the most well-known makers of cloisonné on ceramics was Takeuchi Chubei who was known to work with the maker of these vases. Takeuchi was famous for using yellow, brown, and olive-green enamels such as on these vases. The artist Kaiyosha Takeouchi whose name is on these vases worked with Takeuchi Chubei but went out of business in 1885. It's possible these vases were wired and enameled by Takeuchi Chubei early in his currier for the Kaiyosha company.  

295mm x 120mm

Signed Dai Nippon, Nagoya, Kaiyosha