MAKUZU KOZAN: A GROUP OF FOUR LARGE MOLDED, GILT-DECORATED AND ENAMELED EARTHENWARE VASES WITH FROLICKING ANIMALS
Lot 207 - JPN0625

By Makuzu Kozan, the smaller pair signed Makuzu Kozan zo
Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912)

Comprising two pairs of vessels, the smaller oviform in shape tapering towards the foot with recessed base and rising to a short waisted neck and a rounded thick-lipped mouth. The body finely adorned with six panels each containing applied frogs dancing and playing musical instruments, one of them featuring a mitsutomoe, on a stippled rough-textured ground bordered by a gilt frame. Enclosed above and below with richly decorated bands depicting small swirling clouds, wave patterns and stylized scrolling tendrils glazed with dark-brown, orange, green and white accents and dotted stripes on dark ground garnished with bands of gilt geometrical patterns and arabesque. The rim embellished with a band of key-fret. Seal impressed at the base in a double-gourd shape cartouche MAKUZU KOZAN zo [made by Makuzu Kozan].

The bigger vases with a waisted body and rising to a short, everted neck to depict a procession of dancing sparrows holding fans and carrying gold standards, one of them featuring a Yotsume (Rokkaku-mon), accompanied by two large owls with protruding eyes on a lush, wooded ground on their way to the temple. The lower body adorned with shaped, gilt-framed cartouches containing organically scrolling motifs colored in light blue, dark red and green on dotted dark brown and reddish ground. The upper body embellished with four rounded handles placed on recessed panels adorned all around with cartouches richly decorated with geometric motifs, wave patterns and scrolling tendrils in gilt and bright colors.

HEIGHT 31.6 cm (small vases)
HEIGHT 36.1 cm (big vases)

Condition: Exhibits general wear and firing irregularities. Notable losses to some applied figures and handles, with a few elements reattached or repaired. Cracks present at the bases, along with areas of rubbing to the gilding and enamel decoration. Professional restoration is strongly recommended to preserve and enhance the integrity of this group of vases.

The depiction of the frogs on the present panel is reminiscent of the Choju-jinbutsu-giga scrolls from the 12th and 13th centuries. This famous set of four emakimono belonging to Kozan-ji temple in Kyoto are also referred to as Scrolls of Frolicking Animals in English and feature many anthropomorphic frogs.

Makuzu Kozan (1842-1916), also known as Miyagawa Kozan, was a potter who moved his ceramics studio from his hometown of Kyoto to the port city of Yokohama in 1870. His early works copying styles and forms derived from earlier Japanese and Chinese ceramics soon found favor with Western buyers and his business quickly expanded. Kozan’s work was also much admired within Japan and achieved special notoriety after the Meiji Emperor touched one of his vases at the First National Industrial Exhibition in 1877.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related pair of large ovoid vases with appliqué decoration, attributed to Makuzu Kozan and dated to the Meiji period, 39.5 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 5 November 2020, London, lot 211 (sold for GBP 3,812 or approx. EUR 5,554 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Compare a related pair of earthenware vases, attributed to Makuzu Kozan and dated to the Meiji period, 36 cm high, at Bonhams, Patient Detail, Perfect Design, 3 November 2022, London, lot 179 (sold for GBP 9,562).