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拍品專文
The cloisonné method of enameling uses fine wires to delineate decorative shapes within which enamel paste is applied before the object is fired. Although historically the cloisonné enamel tradition was not widespread in Japan before the 1860s, objects such as this koro became synonymous with the best of Japanese technological development and design during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Large cloisonné wares showcased in international exhibitions and fairs played an important role in the government's desire to demonstrate the modernity and refinement of the country which only recently opened its ports to foreign trade. Reaching the peak of artistic maturity in the end of the 19th century, masters such as Namikawa Yasuyuki, Namikawa Sosuke and Ando Jubei produced wares which were greeted at exhibitions in the years adjoining the turn of the 20th century to worldwide acclaim.
During the late 19th century, the village of Toshima near Najoya became a center of cloisonné production, earning the nickname Shippo-mura (Enamel village). In addition to the factories of Ota Tamashiro and Hayashi Kodenji, one of the most important cloisonné producers was the Ando Company, established in 1880 by Ando Jubei. Employing a large workshop of artists to design and produce his wares, a relatively new concept in Japan, he founded a Tokyo premise in 1887 aimed primarily at foreign tourists. By 1893, the company was regularly producing works for the Imperial Household Agency.
With its complex decoration and large size, the present koro was undoubtedly produced by a master at the height of his creativity and skill. Its unique combination of western forms and traditional decorative motifs perhaps points to Ando Jubei as the maker during this golden age of cloisonn enameling. Like much Japanese cloisonné of the Meiji period, this work shows the influence of Chinese decoration. The subject matter of dragons and mythical Ho-o (phoenixes), Buddhist in origin, are Chinese auspicious emblems which were fashionable in Japan from the Nara Period (1710-1784) when Chinese philosophies, fashions, and government systems were being assimilated under the rule of Emperor ancestors of the Emperor Meiji.
Nevertheless, the object's aesthetic success lies in its ability to incorporate exotic imagery on Western forms as desired by foreign buyers. Its grand size and distinctive profusion of decorative motifs can perhaps be attributed to Jubei's steady supply of works for the international world fairs. The cursive arms and incised body also represent a stylised interpretation of Western forms. This combination of Eastern and Western elements was apparently characteristic of Jubei's work, as seen in a koro with a similar shape and scrolling, geometric designs in the John R Young Collection attributed to the artist and his workshop and illustrated in Oliver Impey and Malcolm Fairley's The Dragon King of the Sea: Japanese decorative art of the Meiji period from the John R. Young collection, 1991, pp.44-45. The wide array of colours featured and the large range of designs employed, extending from the decorative and abstract patterns to the highly elaborate compositions, exemplify the work of an artist with the highest technical development and the knowledge of the Western taste in the international export market.
During the late 19th century, the village of Toshima near Najoya became a center of cloisonné production, earning the nickname Shippo-mura (Enamel village). In addition to the factories of Ota Tamashiro and Hayashi Kodenji, one of the most important cloisonné producers was the Ando Company, established in 1880 by Ando Jubei. Employing a large workshop of artists to design and produce his wares, a relatively new concept in Japan, he founded a Tokyo premise in 1887 aimed primarily at foreign tourists. By 1893, the company was regularly producing works for the Imperial Household Agency.
With its complex decoration and large size, the present koro was undoubtedly produced by a master at the height of his creativity and skill. Its unique combination of western forms and traditional decorative motifs perhaps points to Ando Jubei as the maker during this golden age of cloisonn enameling. Like much Japanese cloisonné of the Meiji period, this work shows the influence of Chinese decoration. The subject matter of dragons and mythical Ho-o (phoenixes), Buddhist in origin, are Chinese auspicious emblems which were fashionable in Japan from the Nara Period (1710-1784) when Chinese philosophies, fashions, and government systems were being assimilated under the rule of Emperor ancestors of the Emperor Meiji.
Nevertheless, the object's aesthetic success lies in its ability to incorporate exotic imagery on Western forms as desired by foreign buyers. Its grand size and distinctive profusion of decorative motifs can perhaps be attributed to Jubei's steady supply of works for the international world fairs. The cursive arms and incised body also represent a stylised interpretation of Western forms. This combination of Eastern and Western elements was apparently characteristic of Jubei's work, as seen in a koro with a similar shape and scrolling, geometric designs in the John R Young Collection attributed to the artist and his workshop and illustrated in Oliver Impey and Malcolm Fairley's The Dragon King of the Sea: Japanese decorative art of the Meiji period from the John R. Young collection, 1991, pp.44-45. The wide array of colours featured and the large range of designs employed, extending from the decorative and abstract patterns to the highly elaborate compositions, exemplify the work of an artist with the highest technical development and the knowledge of the Western taste in the international export market.