Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Vase with Embedded Fans Ando Workshop PIB

  

Here is very rare Japanese cloisonne vase with imbedded silver panels forming the various fan shapes. In nearly 40 years of focused collecting, I have only encountered one other example with this type of complex work, which tells me that this technique was very difficult to create. In addition to the rare imbedded technique, the body is finished in a smooth matte finish, which is typically the result of immersing the piece in a bath of sulfuric acid. The resulting finish is a wonderfully soft, smooth finish.

The artist covered the areas of the design with a wax-like substance which protected the underlying surface and enamels from the acid. The highlight of the work is clearly the three fans. One fan is fully opened, the middle fan is partially open and the fan to the right hand side, is depicted as a folded or unopened. The fully open fan is worked with a large silver panel, pierced with two Paulownia (kiri) flowers. The vase is in remarkably good antique condition considering its age and the rarity of the technique.

There are very slight surface abrasions on the silver panels. Please refer to the detailed images for the overall condition. This exact piece is illustrated on page 31 in Chater 6, "Imbedded Cloisonne Enamel" in the reference book entitled " Japanese Cloisonne Enamels; A Private Collector's Notes and Reference Guide , " by Gary Yoshino. Overall, a wonderful example of a very rare technique that can be considered experimental due to the very limited examples that have survived over the years. The height of this vase is approximately 3.5 inches.

The width of this vase is approximately 2.25 inches. Due to the fragile nature of cloisonné enamels, this item will be double boxed and packed with tremendous care.