Pair of Japanese porcelain vases, circa 1680

Rare pair of quadrangular flower boxes in Japanese porcelain.
Very beautiful “Kakiemon” type decoration, made on glaze with translucent blue, red, green and pink enamels delicately enhanced with gold.
Each side presents either a European decoration, with a bird perched on a flowering branch, or an Asian decoration, with a basket from which a Japanese apricot tree emerges and an umbrella pine on which a phoenix is perched.
A small bamboo shoot in front of the basket tells us that the Asian theme chosen is that of the three friends of winter.*

The two boxes feature a gilded bronze frame consisting of an angle iron surmounted by four bobeches in the corners in the upper part and a corner iron in the lower part supported by four spinning top legs.

Very good state of conservation.

Japan, Arita kilns, Saga prefecture around 1680 for porcelain.

Holland, The Hague region around 1680-1700 for the Kakiemon** decoration with European iconography including pink enamels of the “Cassius Purple” type.*** and for the bronze mount.

The whole probably imported, decorated, assembled and marketed through the Dutch India Company (VOC).


Dimensions: Height: 20 cm; Width per side: 11 cm

* The three friends of winter, also known as the three friends of the cold, or even Suihan Sanyou, refer to the following three plants: pine, bamboo and Japanese apricot.
Every year, as winter approaches, most plants begin to die back, but this is not the case for these three plants, which is why they are called “winter’s friends” in Asia.
The three of them embody the virtues of perseverance, integrity and modesty.
Often represented together, we find this lucky group "shôchikubai" on traditional New Year decorations or wedding kimonos in Japan.
They are very respected as such in Confucianism, because they represent the primordial qualities of the literate man and also symbolize longevity and even immorality, just like the Phoenix present on our vases.


** “Kakiémon” is taken from the name of the Japanese potter who promoted the art of glazing, Sakaida Kakiémon. The first Kakiémon pattern porcelains were made in the Arita workshops in Saga Prefecture in the mid-17th century. These places are currently classified as national historic sites in Japan. Also, this artisanal technique is considered one of the Japanese cultural heritages. This decorative style is generally done on a milky white background, called nigoshide in Japanese. This background accentuates the delicacy and refinement of the porcelain. The drawings making up the pattern are structured asymmetrically. However, they maintain a certain form of balance and harmony. Most of the images composed are typical of Japanese culture: chrysanthemum, Japanese apricot tree, bamboo, quails…

*** Pink enamels were unknown in the 17th century in Asia and were one of the only European innovations in the field of porcelain.
They are obtained by cooking over a low heat (800 degrees) a purple mineral pepper obtained by the chemical reaction of gold trichloride with tin.
The pigment was already used for coloring glasses in Germany, but it was the chemist Andréa Cassius (1605-1673) who gave the pigment its name “Cassius Purple”.
Following its publication, Dutch earthenware workshops produced the first decorations with pink enamels on white porcelain imported from Asia because the porcelain manufacturing technique was not yet known in Europe.
This pink decoration, only made in Holland, will be a rare and highly sought-after must-have before a Jesuit delivered the manufacturing secret in 1719 to the court of the Chinese Emperor Yongzhen.
This date will mark the birth of Chinese famille rose porcelain which will flood Europe throughout the 18th century.


Our opinion :

The melting, milky and slightly grainy glaze of our vases leaves no doubt about the Japanese origin of our porcelain which were originally quadrangular sake bottles.
This type of container is characteristic of Arita kilns and was imported to Europe by the Dutch India Company at a time when Chinese trade was at a standstill due to political unrest following the fall of the Ming dynasty.
While demand was in full swing, Japan remained the only source capable of supplying the precious material but the country refused all trade with Europeans with the exception of the Dutch.
If Japanese production was of superior quality, it was also much more expensive and sold sparsely.