Large lided vase - Japan late 17th century

Important and rare lided vase or vase of slightly ovoid baluster form in porcelain in the Imari palette with green, blue, red and gold enamels on a white ground under glaze, decorated in oblong and lobed reserves with lake landscapes (maples and pavilions, rocky cliffs and waterfalls, junks) and of two hangings in the form of tanzaku (Japanese poem on paper strip) decorated with wisteria, the whole on a background of arabesques of chrysanthemum stems and prunus strips and plant festoons (karakusa). The lid is decorated in a similar way to the vase.

There are horn vases with the same decoration. They are certainly not common and are most often found in prestige sales. Even rarer than these are the covered pan vases of this period with this type of decoration. We have found only one covered vase fulfilling these two criteria (an even larger model) sold at Christie's, which we reproduce in documentation.

Condition : The lid (inner rim covered with a shockproof felt) in perfect condition and the vase as well, just to point out a hair without any gravity (affecting only the glaze / photographs 6 & 7) on one of the lacustrine reserves. The glazes are still very fresh (very slight wear) and the porcelain has a superb shine.

Japan - Edo period.
Period between the end of the 17th century and the first third of the 18th century.