Masterpiece Japanese Totai Shippo Sugar Bowl. Cloisonne Tree Bark, with Dragon. Circa 1890. Signed.

Rare Masterpiece Japanese Totai Shippo Sugar Bowl. Cloisonne Tree Bark, with Dragon. Circa 1890. Signed (underside of base).

The creativity and artwork is superlative, and of the highest artisan quality. Extremely rare. Finely rendered in the Totai Shippo technique on porcelain. Superbly decorated with an extremely fine Dragon rendition.

An extremely difficult process with superb workmanship and superb rich colours and beautiful contrast. The underside in original black lacquer (and signed).

Condition: Urushi lacquer work and porcelain in excellent condition. Please note the lid is missing.
[Display stand not included].

* Sake Teapot and Vase by same maker also for sale.

Dimensions:

Height = 10 cm

Width across handles = 12.5 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.