A delightful pair of Japanese Cloisonne vases by the Ando Company (Circa 1880)

A delightful pair of Japanese Cloisonne vases by the Ando Company (Circa 1880).

From our collection of antique Japanese enamelware, this attractive pair of art nouveau style Japanese cloisonne vases with bold decoration of mauve, blue and white iris on a powder pink ground.

The cloisonne work on these vases is particularly impressive as it is wireless, a technique known to be unpredictable and difficult to master, but used to great effect here to create a naturalistic gradient on the flowers and foliage.

In Japan the Iris (Ayme) represents courage and good news. Its sword-shaped leaves symbolise a warrior’s spirit, making it a popular gift for individuals facing challenges or starting new ventures.

Offered in good condition as shown in the photographs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information or to arrange a viewing.

The Ando cloisonne company is one of the only traditional cloisonne companies left in Japan, they were founded in the Edo period and originally sold pipes, in the late 1800’s they became known for their cloisonne and visited many world expositions and in 1918 were awarded the imperial warrant to the Japanese court.

Cloisonne is an enamelling technique used to decorate metal objects, typically copper or silver, fine lines of metal are used to define the outlines of a design (called cloisons in French which is where the name cloisonne comes from) enamel paste in different colours is applied to the areas, which are then fired in a kiln and polished to create a glass-like finish.
Cloisonne is very fragile and must be treated with the utmost care, as one tiny knock can cause an area to shatter, it is very hard if not impossible to restore cloisonne.

Dimensions

Price

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report

Stock number