Pair of Satsuma Vases

This pair of polychrome and gilded vases have a diapered neck and two white panels. One panels is decorated with peonies and a crane, the other is decorated with chrysanthemums. The neck and sides are decorated in an intricate red and gold design with a gold medallion in the center. The shoulder background is gray, speckled with white, red, and black and overlaid with gold. The rim is gold and the base has a geometric design in gold. The typical Satsuma cream-colored crackled glaze can be seen beneath the decorations. The piece is heavily gilded. Satsuma is the name of an ancient Japanese province which lies in the southernmost part of the island of Kyushu, Japan. It has become well known among collectors of Japanese ceramics because of the earthenware made there from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Satsuma pottery is known for its cream-colored body that is glazed in a clear but slightly yellowish color and finely crackled into a delicate network. Such a technique was developed during the 18th century. Until the end of the 18th century most Satsuma pottery was simple and plainly decorated. They were primarily used in the traditional tea ceremony. “Today, however, the name Satsuma is more readily identified with the highly elaborate examples from the late 19th and 20th centuries, where painstakingly detailed enamel decoration covers the surface.” (p.6, Louis Lawrence, Satsuma: Masterpieces from the World’s Important Collections. London: Dauphin Publishing Limited, 1991) This pair of polychrome and gilded vases have a diapered neck and two white panels. One panels is decorated with peonies and a crane, the other is decorated with chrysanthemums. The neck and sides are decorated in an intricate red and gold design with a gold medallion in the center. The shoulder background is gray, speckled with white, red, and black and overlaid with gold. The rim is gold and the base has a geometric design in gold. The typical Satsuma cream-colored crackled glaze can be seen beneath the decorations. The piece is heavily gilded. Satsuma is the name of an ancient Japanese province which lies in the southernmost part of the island of Kyushu, Japan. It has become well known among collectors of Japanese ceramics because of the earthenware made there from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Satsuma pottery is known for its cream-colored body that is glazed in a clear but slightly yellowish color and finely crackled into a delicate network. Such a technique was developed during the 18th century. Until the end of the 18th century most Satsuma pottery was simple and plainly decorated. They were primarily used in the traditional tea ceremony. “Today, however, the name Satsuma is more readily identified with the highly elaborate examples from the late 19th and 20th centuries, where painstakingly detailed enamel decoration covers the surface.” (p.6, Louis Lawrence, Satsuma: Masterpieces from the World’s Important Collections. London: Dauphin Publishing Limited, 1991