24. A kaleidoscope of butterflies

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Once it was possible to have large areas of background colour without ‘strength wiring’ the design possibilities opened up. Butterflies […]

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23. Ginbari Phoenix and Dragon

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This next vase takes the familiar Phoenix (Houou Bird) and Dragon theme but implements it on a Ginbari vase. The […]

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22. Hidden Skills

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This next vase is full of skilful designs beautifully executed, but they are easily overlooked unless the lighting is bright […]

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21. More blue beauties

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These are a lovely pair of vases on blue ground which seem to be both early and mature. That is, […]

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20. Koro charm

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The next object is a lovely little kouro 香​炉 (こうろ) incense burner. It comes complete with lid, which most have […]

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19. Jewel of a jug

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Most posts so far have been about vases and jars, but cloisonne was used as a decoration on a wide […]

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18. Beautiful butterflies

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In earlier posts we looked at many examples of butterfly decoration. Often the designs were really simple and yet the […]

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17. The beauty of blue

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Many of the earlier vases we have looked at used small areas of blue to brighten up a background of […]

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16. A familiar phoenix

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This is another more modern ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ vase, and one where the Houou Bird will be of great interest. […]

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15. A professional production

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This next vase continues with the “phoenix and dragon” strand. It has a more modern feel than anything we have […]

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14. Birds and dragons

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Although we encountered a Houou Bird in earlier discussions, this next vase is the first that is firmly in the […]

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13. Small mystery

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This tiny, elegant vase contains several puzzles. It is full of interesting design details, and minutely worked patterns. In many […]

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12. A pretty pair

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Many of the vases we have been looking at would have been made as a pair. This pair of ribbed […]

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11. So very similar

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The last vase we looked at was very distinctive, so it was easy to see that this next vase came […]

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10. Room to fill

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Compared to previous objects we have looked at this is large vase (30cm tall). It is full of delicate wirework, […]

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9. Hidden details

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If you saw the next vase on a shelf in a British house it probably would not catch your eye. […]

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8. Simple but elegant

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Our next object is a small, elegant vase. It uses a range of simple elements to create a stylish look […]

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7. First sight of the Houou Bird 鳳凰

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Our next vase is the first to introduce decoration with the mythological Houou Bird. This is written many ways in […]

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6. Japanese or Chinese Cloisonne?

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The Chinese have also been making fine cloisonne for many centuries. As a result it can at times be difficult […]

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5. Fancy fans

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This is a stylish vase, certainly of a higher quality that those we have seen before. The decoration uses fan […]

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4. Simple pairs

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Staying for the moment with very basic designs, this pair of small vases does not attempt any great stylish improvements. […]

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3. Small improvements

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This is a tiny vase, and you can imagine thousands of them being produced in the workshops of Kyoto or […]

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2. Brown and blue and green

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The second object is a small vase with dense decoration and vibrant colours. There are six panels, three sparkling blue […]

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1. When cloisonne was brown.

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Search the web for images of “Japanese Cloisonne” (七宝) and you will find a host of marvellous images. You will […]

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