13th Jun, 2025 10:00
Fine Japanese Art
193
A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE HIRADO PORCELAIN ‘DRAGON’ VASE
Sold for €2,600
including Buyer's Premium
Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912)
The tall waisted vessel supported on a tapered foot and rising to a trumpet-shaped mouth to depict two writhing three-clawed dragons facing each other with a ferocious expression and their long whiskers waving. Their long-tailed meandering bodies meticulously carved to render their scaly texture and openworked to form the handles of the vase. The ground delicately painted in varying hues of underglaze pale blue depicting a lush forest of cherry blossoms with large branches, accompanied by clusters of camellias. Framed below by a band of shaped cartouches rendering stylized birds on scrolling tendrils.
HEIGHT 56 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, firing irregularities, and minimal fritting to the rim.
Hirado ware (Hirado-yaki) is a type of Japanese porcelain primarily produced at kilns in Mikawachi, Sasebo, and Nagasaki, cities located in the Kyushu region, therefore also known as Mikawachi ware (Mikawachi-yaki). It was originally made in the former feudal Hirado domain, which owned the kilns and was responsible for establishing and overseeing their production. Hirado ware is primarily recognized for its sometsuke underglaze cobalt blue and white porcelain, with the amount of blue typically being low, allowing the intricate modeling and the exceptionally fine white color of the porcelain to be more prominent. This porcelain features a finer grain than most other Japanese porcelains, enabling the creation of fine details and delicate, intricate openwork in its forms. The present vase is an excellent example of it.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related porcelain vase, Hirado ware, dated to the Meiji period, 34.9 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, 12 September 2018, New York, lot 1264 (sold for USD 2,375). Compare a related blue and white hirado ‘dragon’ vase, dated to the 19th century, Meiji period, 37.5 cm high, at Christie’s, Asian Decorative Arts, 13 September 2001, London, lot 455 (sold for GBP 1,997 or approx. EUR 5,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912)
The tall waisted vessel supported on a tapered foot and rising to a trumpet-shaped mouth to depict two writhing three-clawed dragons facing each other with a ferocious expression and their long whiskers waving. Their long-tailed meandering bodies meticulously carved to render their scaly texture and openworked to form the handles of the vase. The ground delicately painted in varying hues of underglaze pale blue depicting a lush forest of cherry blossoms with large branches, accompanied by clusters of camellias. Framed below by a band of shaped cartouches rendering stylized birds on scrolling tendrils.
HEIGHT 56 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, firing irregularities, and minimal fritting to the rim.
Hirado ware (Hirado-yaki) is a type of Japanese porcelain primarily produced at kilns in Mikawachi, Sasebo, and Nagasaki, cities located in the Kyushu region, therefore also known as Mikawachi ware (Mikawachi-yaki). It was originally made in the former feudal Hirado domain, which owned the kilns and was responsible for establishing and overseeing their production. Hirado ware is primarily recognized for its sometsuke underglaze cobalt blue and white porcelain, with the amount of blue typically being low, allowing the intricate modeling and the exceptionally fine white color of the porcelain to be more prominent. This porcelain features a finer grain than most other Japanese porcelains, enabling the creation of fine details and delicate, intricate openwork in its forms. The present vase is an excellent example of it.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related porcelain vase, Hirado ware, dated to the Meiji period, 34.9 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, 12 September 2018, New York, lot 1264 (sold for USD 2,375). Compare a related blue and white hirado ‘dragon’ vase, dated to the 19th century, Meiji period, 37.5 cm high, at Christie’s, Asian Decorative Arts, 13 September 2001, London, lot 455 (sold for GBP 1,997 or approx. EUR 5,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
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