Large Japanese Totai Shippo Charger. Cloisonne Tree Bark, with Cranes. Circa 1890. Signed.

Large Japanese Totai Shippo Charger. Cloisonne Tree Bark, with Cranes. Circa 1890. Signed on reverse.

Finely decorated in the Totai Shippo technique on porcelain. An extremely difficult process with excellent workmanship and superb colour contrast. Beautifully decorated with Japanese red crowned cranes nesting in their habitat of wetland marshes (typically Kushiro Marsh). With Iris plants flowering in full bloom and being attended to by a single butterfly. The reverse undecorated, signed in underglaze blue and retaining its original paper cleaning label.

Condition: Urushi lacquer work and porcelain in excellent condition. [Display stand not included].

Dimensions:

Diameter = 31 cm
Depth = 3.9 cm

**Totai shippo, meaning "body cloisonné," is a Japanese ceramic technique where urushi lacquer cloisonne decoration is applied to a ceramic or porcelain base. This difficult technique was developed around 1868 by Sukamoto Kaisuke. Totai shippo or “Tree-bark” cloisonne is relatively fragile due to the delicate multi-layering and surfacing technique.