MARK OF INABA WORKSHOP, MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)

This is an interpretation of a European shape, possibly Vincennes or Sèvres. For an example of a Vincennes vase similar to this lot see Marie-Noëlle Pinot de Villechnon, Sèvres Porcelain from the Sèvres Museum 1740 to the Present Day, (London, 1997), p. 20.

For another example of a cloisonné vase in the style of European porcelain by Inaba, see Gregory Irvine, Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, (London, 2006), p.58-59.
The same vase is also illustrated in the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Museum number FE.49:1 to 3-2011, go to http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1192968/vase-unknown/

The man behind this collection was an incurable collector who loved art. He was particularly interested in the patina of objects, in multi-coloured bronzes, and in the juxtaposition of media – bronze, enamel and lacquer. He appreciated the details, intricate nature of the decoration and effort required to create each object. His aim was to create a diverse Meiji art collection, of objects created by artisans who were long gone, from a period and country very foreign to his own.