Pair of Arita porcelain vases, Japan, Hichozan Shinpo Monzaemon dragons, 19th century
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Pair of large baluster-shaped Japanese vases, in polychrome Arita porcelain, with rich floral decoration (especially colored peony flowers) on a blood-red background, enhanced with two white dragons in application and relief embracing the body, signed Hichozan Shinpo (by Tashiro Monzaemon*), from the second half of the 19th century.
These vases are in good condition and of remarkable quality. Signed underneath. A perfect example of the European taste for Japanese-inspired decorative objects to adorn their interiors.
Note: some minor accidents and enamel chips on the decorations (see red arrow for example), some enameling defects, wear and tear from time, see photos.
An honorary samurai and merchant, he founded the Hichōzan Shinpo company in Arita in 1856. The lord of Saga granted him the exclusive right to export porcelain from the port of Nagasaki upon Japan's reopening to the world. He established branches in Nagasaki, Yokohama, Shanghai, and even New York, enjoying a monopoly until the early 1870s. Tashiro Monzaemon was in charge of the Arita section for the 1873 Vienna World's Fair; there, he presented, among other things, monumental corolla vases, whose elegant form was a great success. These porcelains, exclusively reserved for export, contributed to the stylistic and iconographic renewal of Arita.
See Ariana - Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass Geneva