5th Dec, 2025 10:00
Fine Japanese Art
232
YABU MEIZAN: A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE SATSUMA INCENSE BOX (KOGO) AND COVER
€4,000
€8,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
By Yabu Meizan (1853-1934), signed Yabu Meizan
Japan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)
Of rectangular form with inward-curving corners, superbly decorated in polychrome pigments and embellished with rich gilt. The interior depicting a sparrow perched on a blossoming cherry branch, while the exterior presents a poetic coastal landscape scene with distant mountains, each set against a finely crackled, creamy-white glazed ground. Both panels framed in gilt with a lozenge band and flanked on the sides of the box and cover by a dense millefleur motif. Sealed to the base in gold with a four-character YABU MEIZAN mark enclosed within a square cartouche.
SIZE 2.3 x 6 x 8 cm
Condition: Excellent condition with only very minor wear and light rubbing to gilt as is to be expected.
Yabu Meizan (1853-1934) was a Japanese artist and workshop owner known for painting on porcelain. His studio produced high-end Satsuma ware and he was one of the artists who continued the tradition of high artistic quality while also successfully exporting. Meizan actively marketed his work internationally as well as domestically, taking an active role in organizing the presentation of Japanese wares at world fairs.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related satsuma earthenware incense box (kogo) and cover, by Yabu Meizan, Meiji period, 1890-1905, 7.7 cm long, illustrated in Oliver Impey and Malcolm Fairley, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art. Treasures of Imperial Japan. Ceramics Part II, 1995, no. 38.
Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related Satsuma earthenware incense box (kogo) and cover, by Yabu Meizan, Meiji period, 12.7 cm long, at Christie’s, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2013, London, lot 500 (sold for GBP 18,750 or approx. EUR 35,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
By Yabu Meizan (1853-1934), signed Yabu Meizan
Japan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)
Of rectangular form with inward-curving corners, superbly decorated in polychrome pigments and embellished with rich gilt. The interior depicting a sparrow perched on a blossoming cherry branch, while the exterior presents a poetic coastal landscape scene with distant mountains, each set against a finely crackled, creamy-white glazed ground. Both panels framed in gilt with a lozenge band and flanked on the sides of the box and cover by a dense millefleur motif. Sealed to the base in gold with a four-character YABU MEIZAN mark enclosed within a square cartouche.
SIZE 2.3 x 6 x 8 cm
Condition: Excellent condition with only very minor wear and light rubbing to gilt as is to be expected.
Yabu Meizan (1853-1934) was a Japanese artist and workshop owner known for painting on porcelain. His studio produced high-end Satsuma ware and he was one of the artists who continued the tradition of high artistic quality while also successfully exporting. Meizan actively marketed his work internationally as well as domestically, taking an active role in organizing the presentation of Japanese wares at world fairs.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related satsuma earthenware incense box (kogo) and cover, by Yabu Meizan, Meiji period, 1890-1905, 7.7 cm long, illustrated in Oliver Impey and Malcolm Fairley, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art. Treasures of Imperial Japan. Ceramics Part II, 1995, no. 38.
Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related Satsuma earthenware incense box (kogo) and cover, by Yabu Meizan, Meiji period, 12.7 cm long, at Christie’s, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2013, London, lot 500 (sold for GBP 18,750 or approx. EUR 35,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
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Auction: Fine Japanese Art, 5th Dec, 2025
We're delighted to present Fine Japanese Art — a live auction featuring 600 exceptional lots that span every era of Japan’s rich artistic heritage.
The first 360 lots are featured in our printed catalog, beginning with Bronzes & Meiji metalwork, including a superb selection of silver works and notable pieces by celebrated masters such as Kitagawa Hokusen I and Jomi Eisuke II. These are followed by an outstanding group of samurai artworks, showcasing works by the Myochin family, intricate jizai okimono, exquisite tsuba from the Kotler Collection, and a distinguished array of armors, helmets, and swords. Learn more.
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