Page 21 - Wolley & Wallace, July 1, 2020 Japanese Works of Art UK

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A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE JAPANESE SATSUMA VASE BY RYOZAN FOR THE YASUDA COMPANY
MEIJI PERIOD, 19 CENTURY
TH
The ovoid body richly decorated in gilt and polychrome with two large rectangular panels enclosing many figures
in mountainous river landscapes, one side with Mount Fuji towering above revelers at leisure by a river, some
drinking sake in small thatched huts and setting up a picnic under the sakura cherry blossoms, others standing on
a veranda and admiring the landscape; the reverse with many travellers on the shore of the Abe River, some on
horseback and other on barges, a sign to the side mentioning the Tokaido Road; the panels on an elaborate ground
of densely painted brocade designs, geometric patterns and flowerheads, with four medallions to the shoulder
enclosing the Maru ni Mitsuba Aoi mon, the family crest for the Tokugawa clan; with further brocade patterns above
the foot, the base signed with the mark for the Yasuda Company, Dai Nihon, and Kyoto Ryozan with the Shimazu
mon underneath, 30cm, 4.2kg.
£10,000-15,000
Provenance: the collection of Stan & Winifred Gerrans, South Africa, and thence by descent.
The elaborate decoration depicts the shores of the Abe River where the 19th station of the Tokaido Road, the main artery
of Japan that connected Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto, was located. Ryozan was the head decorator for the Yasuda Satsuma
factory, and this is a telling example of his talent.
Winifred Gerrans (left)

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