Japanese Satsuma Vase with Kannon and Rakan Decoration

About the work

A Japanese Satsuma-type vase in the export Kyō-Satsuma style, dated to c. 1920–1950 — the late Taishō to early Shōwa period. The ovoid body with a short neck, gilt everted rim and low foot ring is made of low-fired earthenware (tōki), not porcelain. The cream-coloured body is covered with a finely crackled glaze — the network of tiny cracks is intentional and one of the hallmarks of Satsuma ware. The decoration is executed in polychrome enamels using the moriage relief technique and complemented by heavy gilding, naturally worn in places along the rim.

The central motif is the bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara) accompanied by rakan — arhats, the enlightened disciples of the Buddha — with gilt halos; one of them, the rakan Handaka Sonja, is accompanied by a dragon. Fuji-type mountains form the background, while brocade borders on cobalt (gosu blue) and black grounds frame the neck and foot. The base bears a brush-written three-character studio mark 鐘美堂 (Shōbidō) — a workshop mark (dōgō), not a painter's signature. The vase entered the collection from a private collector in Slovakia.