Japanese Blue and White Lidded Dragon Vase, circa 1900

A good quality late 19th century Japanese Kutani vase, having the classical orange ground, dog of faux handles to either side, classical motif dec...

A magnificent and important, fine quality Japanese Meiji period (1868-1912) blue and white porcelain lidded Palace vase. Having wonderful classical motif decoration to the boarders, ...

A very impressive pair of Japanese Meiji (1868-1912) period Blue and white porcelain vases, each with wonderful classical motif decoration to the neck and base. Blossom trees to the ...

A fine quality and imposing late 19th Century Japanese Imperial Satsuma vase. Having a cobalt blue ground, scrolling gilded foliate decoration to the...

During the 17th through 19th centuries, highly skilled artisans in Savona, Italy, produced beautiful tin-glazed earthenware known as maiolica (majolica). These blue and white lidded vases with serpentine handles, from circa 1800, are such an example. Early Savona offerings were painted cobalt blue on a white background, as seen on these vases. Because the scenes depicted on the main bodies are distinct, they are considered a near pair, although their dimensions do not vary. Both illustrations contain country houses surrounded by tall trees and fronted by vegetation emerging from rocky terrain. In each scene, people can be seen in front of the houses, with one having two citizens and the other having four. One of the renderings is bordered by roundels at the top and by a leafy vine at the bottom; the other vase does not have any surrounding motifs. The sides opposite the pastoral images are distinct as well: the one with the borders has curled vines surrounding the Savona Lighthouse (a production mark of studios from this region), while the other vase has the lighthouse above a pair of small foliate margents. Both vases have domed, removable lids with a conical finial emerging from a painted sunburst. Curled leaves have been painted along the circumference above a solid blue ring. The two curvaceous handles are each comprised of a pair of snakes bound with a ribbon. Our blue and white lidded Savona vases...

A porcelain vase with dragon motif by Japanese imperial potter Makuzu Kozan (1842-1916), circa 1900s. The vase is made in what is considered early phase of his underglaze period during late Meiji era. In a classic elongated baluster form, the surface of the vase was decorated in an unusual pink mist on a white and aubergine background (called Morotai, the Hazy style), on which a flying dragon is showcased on the center. The dragon was outlined in iron red and filled with the aubergine color and was artistically emphasized on its bulging eyes, claws, scales and a long tail. It was the sole focus of the design circumventing the entire body of the vase. The imagery calls in mind the dragon decoration found in Korean...

Chinese blue-and-white porcelain has inspired ceramists worldwide since cobalt was first introduced to China from the Middle East thousands of years ago. Made in Beijing, this contem...

Japanese porcelain yellow vase, circa 1900.