KIN’UNKEN: A FINE MIDNIGHT-BLUE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘DOVE AMID WISTERIA’ BALUSTER VASE

拍品描述

KIN’UNKEN: A FINE MIDNIGHT-BLUE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘DOVE AMID WISTERIA’ BALUSTER VASE By the Kin’unken workshop of Kyoto, signed Kin’unken zo Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) The elongated baluster body supported on a short, spreading foot and rising to a slender, gently waisted neck with a flared mouth, each end fitted with brass mounts. The exterior finely decorated with vibrant enamels set within gilt wire against a deep midnight-blue ground, depicting a dove perched on the lush branches of a cherry tree, growing among blossoming irises (shobu) and verdant grasses. The foot further embellished with an encircling band of crimson beads and a foliate frieze, echoed around the rim. The underside signed within a raised silver tablet KIN’UNKEN zo [made by Kin’unken]. HEIGHT 15.2 cm WEIGHT 122.6 g The Kin’unken Company of Kyoto opened around 1871 and received awards at major international exhibitions, including the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873, the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1878, the Amsterdam International Exhibition in 1883, and the Nuremberg Trade Fair in 1885. In 1889 the workshop was sold to Inaba Shichiho, art name Nanaho, a former low-ranking samurai who had worked with the company since the late 1870s to supplement a modest stipend. Under his direction, the company produced a diverse range of works, integrating designs and techniques from Kyoto workshops with methods employed by Nagoya makers, often engaging Nagoya-based subcontractors to produce objects in Kyoto style, a practice that can complicate attribution of unsigned works. Works bearing the names Kin’unken or Inaba continued to receive recognition at international exhibitions, reflecting the sustained excellence of the firm in cloisonné art. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related midnight-blue cloisonné enamel baluster vase, depicting hydrangea among chrysanthemum blossoms, signed Kin’unken zo, Meiji period, late 19th century, 21.2 cm, at Christie’s, Japanese Art and Design, London, 17 November 1999, lot 130 (sold for GBP 10,350 or approx. EUR 23,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Compare a closely related midnight-blue cloisonné enamel baluster vase, depicting birds among flowers and foliage, signed Kin’unken zo, Meiji period, late 19th century, 20 cm, at Sotheby’s, Masters of Enamel: The Collection of John and Muriel Okladek, London, 3 November 2021, lot 55 (sold for GBP 5,040 or approx. EUR 7,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).

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