Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Cup / Mug with Lid. Late Edo Period. c1860

Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Cup / Mug with cover lid. Late Edo Period. c1860.

Extremely rare and early Japanese cloisonne enamel piece, dating to Edo Period. The cup and lid matching and correctly paired. The lid with some repair work, and cup (and handle) both slightly mis-shapen. The exterior is adorned with medallions with various geometrical patterns surrounded by floral and foliage motifs, and scrolling ‘karakusa’ (grass).

Attributed to Kaji Tsunekichi (1803–83), (19th century). Brass wire cloisonne construction technique, decorated with vivid and various coloured enamels, geometric patterns, stylised flowers and grass foliage - typical of Kaji works. Possibly a surviving experimental piece preserved through time.

Condition: Some repair and slightly mis-shapen as described, but good for age and typical wear as expected on such an early cloisonne piece. Underside of lid with goldstone enamel and some loses from the firing process.

* In the 1830s, Kaji Tsunekichi of Nagoya obtained a piece of Cloisonné enamel and deconstructed it in order to examine how it had been made. He then reworked the piece to produce a small dish with wired enamel decoration. By the 1850s he had opened a workshop, taken on students and was appointed as the official maker of Cloisonné in the Owari Province.