Ewer - Earthenware - Kinkozan Sobei (錦光山)

Kinkozan Sobei (錦光山)

Schenkkannetje / Roomkannetje with chrysanthemum and butterflies in relief enamel - Satsuma / Awata earthenware - Japan - Meiji period (1868–1912)
Dutch description: Refined Japanese Kyoto-Satsuma (Awata-yaki) earthenware pouring or cream jug, made and signed by the famous Kinkozan Sobei workshop (錦光山) in Kyoto during the Meiji period (c. 1880–1910).
Design & Decoration
The jug has an organically modeled body on an oval footring with a smoothly scalloped pouring edge. The handle is naturalistically formed as an elegantly knotted and twisted flower stem that broadens into the foot ring at the base. The jug is hand-painted around with a pale creamy glaze and a very fine and evenly crackled network of overglaze enamels in polychrome, with touches of gold. The decoration shows blooming Japanese autumn flowers, including richly detailed chrysanthemums (kiku), accompanied by small fluttering butterflies. A hallmark of the high quality of the Kinkozan workshop is the thick moriage relief technique: the white, pink, and green enamel layers of petals and leaves lie tactilely as glossy droplets on the surface, set within delicate black outlines.
Signature
On the wall, directly beneath the large pink-white chrysanthemum, the piece is hand-signed in iron-red in three kanji characters (read from right to left): 錦光山 (Kinkozan). The Kinkozan family workshop in the Awata district of Kyoto was, in the Meiji period, one of the most prestigious ceramic producers in Japan and achieved worldwide fame at major international World Expos.

Specifications & Condition
Origin: Kyoto, Japan
Workshop: Kinkozan (錦光山), signed in the decoration
Period: Meiji period, ca. 1880–1910
Material: Earthenware with fine crazed glaze and polychrome relief enamel (Satsuma / Awata ware)
Height: 7.5 cm
Condition: In good antique condition with a beautiful, authentic aged patina and slight discoloration in the craquelé on the interior from historical use. No restorations; the enamel relief is excellently preserved. View the detail photos for a full view of the condition.