Pair of Satsuma vases. Japan, XIX century.

Pair of Satsuma vases. Japan, XIX century.
Glazed ceramic and ebony wood bases.
With slight wear due to the passage of time.
Measurements: 78 x 32 x 32 cm, 164 x 39 x 39 x 39 cm (with stand).
Japanese Satsuma type vase, richly decorated with reliefs, thick enamels and gilding. They have an ovoid belly and a narrow neck that widens towards the mouth and ends flat. They are decorated with convex moldings in relief under the neck. For the rest, the decoration is entirely enameled, in a wide range of colors in which gold predominates, as is common in the Satsuma. The main motifs, vegetal, are framed on the belly, on a golden background, very typical of Japanese porcelain, which we also see on the foot and neck. These scenes are characterized by various characters taken from Japanese mythology and religion: gods, warriors and monks.
Satsuma ware has been made since the early 18th century on the island of Kyushu, and was a type with a strong Korean influence, as in fact it was even brought to Korean potters. In the second half of the 18th century it became so popular in Japan that the production center was moved to Awata, near Kyoto. Thus, there is a local production in the eighteenth century, although the pieces for export in the nineteenth century, already produced in Awata, will have a greater importance. The paste is not porcelain, but a very light, porous light terracotta. The glaze is feldspathic, mixed with wood ash. The most characteristic feature of Satsuma pottery is its decorative richness, sometimes even exaggerated. Generally the motifs are brushed in golden glaze, as we see here, a novelty compared to previous styles. In addition, the ornamentation is completed with very varied polychrome enamels: green, red, white, turquoise, pink and, above all, "gosu" blue, the most sought after of all, with a very dark tone and typical of the best Satsuma of the 19th century. In addition, these are very thick glazes, which even have relief, as we see in these pieces. Regarding the decorative motifs, they were very varied, from the floral ones that dominate the domestic production to the figurative ones, the most common in the pieces destined for export.