Small Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Rooster Charger. Circa 1870.

Small Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Rooster charger. Circa 1870.

Superbly and finely decorated early Japanese cloisonne piece. Rooster central decoration with colourful plumage in red, blues, yellow, and green enamels. Deep thick green enamel work typical of period and style. Further decorated with brocade, stylised mosaic flowers / blossom and grasses. High-quality cloisonné with skilled brass wire work and multi-coloured enamels. Body is decorated with patterns of Karakusa flowers and further geometrical patterns. Substantial use of wires, both decorative and functional in anchoring the enamel in early Japanese cloisonne work. The reverse similarly decorated. Fine wire work and enamelling technique of the period, most likely from the Nagoya workshop.

Condition: Excellent condition and heavy for size.
[Display stand not part of Sale]

Dimensions (approx):

Diameter = 24.5 cm

Height = 4 cm

*Traditional Japanese rooster art is a major theme in Kacho-ga (bird-and-flower paintings). It often symbolizes courage, reliability, and the start of a new day, as the rooster's crow is said to dispel evil spirits.

**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 (Nagoya), taken on students and was appointed as the official maker of Cloisonné in the Owari Province.