A PAIR OF LARGE JAPANESE CLOISONNE ENAMEL VASES MEIJI 1868-1912 The tall baluster bodies both...

A PAIR OF LARGE JAPANESE CLOISONNE ENAMEL VASES

MEIJI 1868-1912

The tall baluster bodies both decorated in musen (wireless) and shosen (partially wireless) enamels with cranes, the birds standing by a stream and under a pine tree, with delicate pink flowers and wasurenagusa (forget-me-nots) to the side, on a dusky pink ground, with thin bands of key frets to the rims, unsigned, 61.5cm. (2)

Provenance: The Collection of Sir Jeremy Lever.

Cranes and pines are symbols of longevity in Japanese art. The birds also signify marital bliss and together with the forget-me-nots ('true love'), they make for a very auspicious and romantic design.