Baluster-shaped vase (part of a five-piece garniture)

Unknown

ca. 1690–1720 · Hard-paste porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel and gilding · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This garniture, a grouping of vases, is notable for its completeness. Most such groupings have been broken up over time into their individual components. The painted decoration on all five vases is unusually rich—painted with a dark cobalt blue applied under the glaze, then further decorated with red, green, turquoise, and black enamels and gilding. The finials or decorative knobs on the lids are in the form of a guardian lion, known as a shishi, echoing in three dimensions the primary motif painted below.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1690–1720

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel and gilding

Culture

Japanese, for export market (Hizen ware, Imari type)

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Jane Hardesty Poole, 2019