Posted 9 years ago
Brucewalrond
(1 item)
Hi,
I'm really hoping someone will be able to shed some light for me on this beautiful cloisonne vase.
It was passed on to me by my late father and has been in our home for as long as I can remember.
The vase stands 300 mm high.
My father believed it to be of Japanese origin, but it may be Chinese.
I'd like to identify the makers mark.
Any help or advice you might be able to give would be most wecome.
Bruce
bruce@digitalwitness.co.za
Incredible piece. My feeling is Japanese because of the motif.
I would suggest a Google images search for Japanese cloisonne, and compare the style, in particular the design around the base.
Thanks for your response racer4four. Took your advice and spent a happy couple of hours looking at some beautiful pieces, but unfortunately still no luck with the makers mark.
Our most recent and fantastic cloisonne expert no longer does it for CW so I'm not sure who else can help sorry!
Hi Bruce, the maker is Hayashi Chuzo, and your vase is very nice, high quality Japanese Meiji cloisonne. 30cm is big for one of these vases, and these scenes of birds in foliage with black (or very deep blue, known as midnight blue) backgrounds are among the most sought-after pieces.
I've had a similar pair for years, have only just identified them from the rcently published "The Art of Japanese Cloisonne Enamel" by Fredric Schneider, the signature is 042 in his index of marks and signatures.
Nice ID, kiwipaul, and lovely vase. :)
Hey Bruce, I posted the pics of my pair over here: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/160329-pair-of-japanese-meiji-period-cloisonne
Hi kiwipaul,
Thank you for you kind response and the information provided.
I gather that you are a New Zealander which is interesting as although I now live in South Africa, I was born in Auckland which is probably where my father acquired this piece.
As a child I was intrigued by the beauty and workmanship of this vase and often wondered about the person who must have spent so many hours creating this piece. Although he must be long gone his creations live on - what a lovely way to be remembered. I would love to know more of Hayashi Chuzo's life, but I can find nothing on the internet.
Thanks for the pictures of your vases - they are beautiful.
Hi Bruce, the paths by which people and items traveled in the early C20th, are fascinating and also infinitely varied. How a glorious item like your vase got from Meiji Japan to NZ, and into your father's possession, and then to South Africa, no doubt is an incredible story.
Very little is known of Hayashi Chuzo of Aichi. The family name of Hayashi belongs to some of the greatest cloisonne makers, but the connections are unknown as yet.
Hayashi Chuzo represented the Hayashi Company at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition where he exhibited a flower vase, and some of his pieces were of extraordinary quality.
Look after it, cloisonne is more fragile than egg shells! The enamel and wires that hold them all together are applied to thin copper or silver bases, and a fall or knock can ruin them forever.
One of the reasons they are so valuable is because so few have survived and they are particularly susceptible to pets, children and removalists!