Baluster vase. Japan. Meiji Period (1868-1912).

Baluster vase. Japan. Meiji Period (1868-1912).
Finely decorated porcelain, with lacquer and gilding.
Restored.
With wooden base replacing the original.

This Japanese vase corresponds to the Meiji period, a period of extraordinary artistic development in which Japan, after its opening to the West, intensified the production of works destined for both the international market and refined collecting. The manufactures of this period stand out for their technical virtuosity and ornamental richness, designed to fascinate by the complexity and brilliance of their surfaces.

The piece presents a profuse decoration of naturalistic and symbolic inspiration, where birds stand out -probably pheasants or phoenixes- represented in great detail among landscape motifs. The combination of gilding, polychrome and lacquer creates an effect of great visual richness, characteristic of the most elaborate productions of the period. The baluster shape, with an elegant ascending profile, is finished with a wavy rim that adds dynamism to the whole.

This type of vase reflects the Japanese taste for the synthesis of materials and effects. Beyond its obvious decorative function, the work is conceived as a prestige object, designed to stand out in sophisticated interiors.