Cloisonné enamel vase

A cloisonné enamel vase of beaker shape, supported on a small foot rim. The exterior of the vase is decorated with a wide band of linked squares in black, highlighted by silver lines, on a ‘tooled’ background in bright ruby red. The interior is covered in a layer of black enamel. The rims at the top and at the bottom are bound in plain silver bands, and the band at the bottom is stamped ‘silver’. The vase is contained within the original tomobako, the top of which is inscribed Shippo, kyokko-yu, hana moriki (cloisonné, Kyokko glaze, flower arrangement vessel) and Ando Shippo ten zo (made by Ando Shippo shop) with the seal of the artist.

Although the vase itself is unsigned , according to an inscription on the tomobako, it appears to be made by Ando Jubei. Kyokko-yu literally means the “Sunrise colour glaze”, which is translucent pigeon blood red enamel and refers to the colour on the sides. Ando Jubei was a very successful and prolific Meiji and Showa period cloisonné artist from Nagoya, who dominated the local enamelling industry and lived from 1876-1953.